Manchester United and Manchester City faced off this evening in what almost amounted to a Premier League Championship match. United came into the darby up three points, but knowing City's goal differential advantage meant they needed at least a draw to remain atop the table. Vincent Kompany's header in stoppage time of the first half was the only goal, leading City to one of the most important victories in its storied, 132-year history.
The domino effect of City's triumph was felt at both the top and bottom of the EPL. At the top of the table, the roller coaster season continued. Manchester City handed United a 6-1 embarrassment in October that set the tone for the 2011 portion of the campaign; however, controversy surrounding superstar striker Carlos Tevez and uneven play at the back cost the Citizens their early advantage, and United pounced with an impressive 2012 run. Today's result evened everything out at the top and put City back in the lead based on the goal differential tiebreaker (City is +61, United +53).
City now controls its own destiny but has matches left against Newcastle and Queens Park Rangers. Newcastle is fighting to get a spot in Europe, while QPR is in danger of relegation. United faces Swansea and Sunderland, two teams in the middle of the pack with much less to play for than City's opponents. City will surely be tested in these next two matches, while United likely will have no trouble with their opponents.
The race for the third and fourth spots in the EPL is always filled with drama as those squads qualify for the Champions League, while fifth must settle for the Europa League. Arsenal (66 points) is in good shape to earn one of the CL berths, though they have played one more match than the remaining contenders in this group. Fourth place is up for grabs, as Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United both have 62 points, though Tottenham has a superior goal differential (+20 to Newcastle's +7). Chelsea is right behind at 61 points and possesses the best goal differential of the bunch (+23). Chelsea also can punch their ticket into the Europa League if they can knock off Liverpool in the FA Cup Final this Saturday. The remaining schedules of these four squads is important to note: Arsenal has Norwich and West Bromwich Albion, two decent squads both stuck in the middle of the table. Tottenham has Bolton and Aston Villa, both whom are trying to stay away from relegation, and a Fulham team that is currently 9th. Newcastle has the toughest draw of the group, with Chelsea, City, and Everton left. Chelsea has Newcastle, Liverpool and Blackburn left. As you can see, the Newcastle/Chelsea match on Wednesday will be a high stakes affair.
In terms of relegation, Wolverhampton has already been assured of a bottom three spot. Blackburn Rovers (31 points) is in deep trouble and has tough matches with Chelsea and Wigan remaining. Bolton (34 points) has matches with Tottenham, West Brom and Stoke left on its schedule, while QPR (34 points) has Stoke and Man City. Two teams at 37 points, Aston Villa and Wigan, can secure their places in the top division with a positive result this weekend.
May 13 sets up to be one of the biggest days in EPL history. All 20 teams will be in action simultaneously, as the final 10 matches will all kickoff at the same time. At stake will likely be the league championship, Champions League and Europa League berths, and a relegation spot.
My predictions for how this will all play out over the next two weeks is as follows:
Premier League Champion: Manchester City
City and United both will win their final two matches, giving City the title based on its superior goal differential.
Champions League Berths: City, United, Arsenal, Tottenham
Newcastle and Chelsea battle to a draw, allowing Arsenal and Tottenham to secure their spots in the dance.
Europa League Berths: Chelsea, Liverpool
Chelsea wins the FA Cup over Liverpool and Chelsea finishes in fifth place in the EPL, allowing FA Cup runner-up Liverpool to beat out EPL sixth-place finisher Newcastle.
Relegation: Wolves, Blackburn, QPR
Blackburn gets knocked down by Chelsea, while Decision Sunday sees Bolton and Stoke battle to a draw and QPR getting run over by soon-to-be champion City.
Get your favorite snacks and adult beverages ready for a great two weeks of soccer!
Showing posts with label EPL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EPL. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
What is the EPL?
As soccer is becoming more popular in this country and some of my friends are beginning to follow teams, I have been asked lots of questions about the best league to follow - the English Premier League, which is also known as the Barclay's Premier League. The EPL, as it is most often abbreviated, is made up of the top 20 teams in England. On an annual basis (August-May), these teams compete in a 38-match season where each team plays the 19 other teams once at home and once away. The top four teams in the league advance to the UEFA Champions League, which is a hotly contested annual competition among the top teams in all of Europe. The bottom three teams in the EPL each year drop to the second league in England, while the top three teams in that league move up to the EPL. The Champions League and relegation process mean that even if a team is running away with the title or having a very poor season, there is much to play for among the other teams to either advance to the Champions League or try to avoid relegation.
For those of you who are American soccer fans and wanting to cheer for our guys on EPL teams, here are five teams to consider rooting for:
Everton - My team of choice has Tim Howard as its goalkeeper and recently re-acquired Landon Donovan on a two-month loan from the L.A. Galaxy during the MLS off-season. Marcus Hahnemann, backup keeper to Howard for the U.S., is also his backup for Everton. Everton currently sits in 11th place in the EPL at 25 points. They are perennially in what I call "EPL Purgatory," usually not seriously threatened by relegation, but also not often contenders for a Champions League spot.
Fulham - Clint Dempsey has starred for Fulham over the past couple of seasons. He leads Fulham this season with six goals in the EPL. Last month, Dempsey scored his 37th EPL goal, becoming the all-time American goal scorer in league history. Brian McBride scored 36 EPL goals during his illustrious international career. Fulham often is in the middle of the table like Everton - this season they are currently 14th at 23 points.
Tottenham - This is one of the top teams in the EPL this season, currently sitting in third place at 46 points. Their starting goalkeeper is Brad Friedel, another in a long line of outstanding American netminders.
Aston Villa - Brad Guzan, one of Howard's backups, is fighting for the #1 keeper spot for Villa, and Eric Lichaj is trying to work his way into the Villa backfield just as he is looking for time in the U.S. lineup. Villa is currently tied for 12th at 24 points.
Bolton - Stuart Holden, one of the rising stars in the U.S. midfield, was selected as Bolton's most valuable player last season and soccer fans were looking forward to another big campaign from him in 2011-12. Unfortunately, Holden has not been able to suit up yet this season due to injury. Should Bolton be relegated, which looks quite possible given their current 19th place standing, look for Holden to be sold to another EPL team.
This year's EPL action has been outstanding so far. Manchester City and Manchester United are tied with 48 points (teams get three points for wins and one point for a tie). United has played one more match than City to this point, so City technically is in the lead. Tottenham and Chelsea currently hold the all-important third and fourth spots to lay claim to the Champions League spots at 46 and 40 points, respectively. Arsenal and Newcastle United are desperately trying to move up the table and into those spots - they both have 36 points. On the other side of the things, Wigan Athletic (15 points), Bolton (16) and Queens Park Rangers (17) are in the last three spots, which is called the "Relegation Zone" because those would be the relegated squads if the season were to end today. In danger of fallling into that zone are Blackburn Rovers (17 points), Wolverhampton (18) and West Bromwich Albion (22).
For those of you who want to get a taste of EPL action, I encourage you to watch two outstanding matches next Saturday morning featuring four of the best teams in the world. Manchester City takes on Tottenham at 8:25 am et on Fox Soccer, while at 10:30 am et Arsenal will face Manchester United on Fox Sports as Fox continues to jump on the soccer bandwagon.
For those of you who are American soccer fans and wanting to cheer for our guys on EPL teams, here are five teams to consider rooting for:
Everton - My team of choice has Tim Howard as its goalkeeper and recently re-acquired Landon Donovan on a two-month loan from the L.A. Galaxy during the MLS off-season. Marcus Hahnemann, backup keeper to Howard for the U.S., is also his backup for Everton. Everton currently sits in 11th place in the EPL at 25 points. They are perennially in what I call "EPL Purgatory," usually not seriously threatened by relegation, but also not often contenders for a Champions League spot.
Fulham - Clint Dempsey has starred for Fulham over the past couple of seasons. He leads Fulham this season with six goals in the EPL. Last month, Dempsey scored his 37th EPL goal, becoming the all-time American goal scorer in league history. Brian McBride scored 36 EPL goals during his illustrious international career. Fulham often is in the middle of the table like Everton - this season they are currently 14th at 23 points.
Tottenham - This is one of the top teams in the EPL this season, currently sitting in third place at 46 points. Their starting goalkeeper is Brad Friedel, another in a long line of outstanding American netminders.
Aston Villa - Brad Guzan, one of Howard's backups, is fighting for the #1 keeper spot for Villa, and Eric Lichaj is trying to work his way into the Villa backfield just as he is looking for time in the U.S. lineup. Villa is currently tied for 12th at 24 points.
Bolton - Stuart Holden, one of the rising stars in the U.S. midfield, was selected as Bolton's most valuable player last season and soccer fans were looking forward to another big campaign from him in 2011-12. Unfortunately, Holden has not been able to suit up yet this season due to injury. Should Bolton be relegated, which looks quite possible given their current 19th place standing, look for Holden to be sold to another EPL team.
This year's EPL action has been outstanding so far. Manchester City and Manchester United are tied with 48 points (teams get three points for wins and one point for a tie). United has played one more match than City to this point, so City technically is in the lead. Tottenham and Chelsea currently hold the all-important third and fourth spots to lay claim to the Champions League spots at 46 and 40 points, respectively. Arsenal and Newcastle United are desperately trying to move up the table and into those spots - they both have 36 points. On the other side of the things, Wigan Athletic (15 points), Bolton (16) and Queens Park Rangers (17) are in the last three spots, which is called the "Relegation Zone" because those would be the relegated squads if the season were to end today. In danger of fallling into that zone are Blackburn Rovers (17 points), Wolverhampton (18) and West Bromwich Albion (22).
For those of you who want to get a taste of EPL action, I encourage you to watch two outstanding matches next Saturday morning featuring four of the best teams in the world. Manchester City takes on Tottenham at 8:25 am et on Fox Soccer, while at 10:30 am et Arsenal will face Manchester United on Fox Sports as Fox continues to jump on the soccer bandwagon.
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