Slip and fall attorney on line 1…
Guy Bailey
Editor’s Note: Guy Bailey will write columns for The Yanks Are Coming throughout the Barclay’s Premier League season where he discusses the happenings overseas in the world’s most popular sports league. Guy offers a unique perspective on the league as a Brit who lived for a long while in the United States before moving back to Teeside in the past year. He can be reached at guyrbailey@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter all EPL season at @guyrbailey.
2/5/14 – The Penultimate Supper
If there is a theme running through last weeks EPL fixtures it is always keep your eye on the ball. Everton were hoping to put the pressure on Arsenal for the final Champions League place and went to a spirited Southampton hoping to consolidate their chase. Two careless own goals later and their chance looks to have gone. 24 hours later, their Liverpool neighbours would stop laughing in time to witness an even more colossal cock-up, this time from talisman Steven Gerrard, momentarily slipping and pushing the ball into the path of onrushing Demba Ba to give Chelsea the critical breakthrough in their title eliminator. Huff and puff though they might afterwards, Liverpool couldn’t break down the thick blue line and took a knockout sucker punch late in the game to breath new life into Chelsea’s faltering chase for trophies. Now, Liverpool actually fail to control their own destiny and Gerrard is in the market for a slip and fall attorney. My how ninety minutes changes things.
The caliper was firmly on the other leg 72 hours later when Atletico Madrid turned up at Stamford Bridge and did exactly the same to them but matching their aggression and physicality whereas Liverpool tried the precise rapier. After the 3-1 defeat, Chelsea are now looking at the championship or bust for their seasons efforts while Liverpool are relying on Everton to rouse themselves from their slough of despond in time to deny Manchester City an almost unimpeded run at their second title in three seasons.
Connor Wickham appears to be saving Sunderland from the drop. Signs and wonders.
At the other end, Sunderland of all teams now resemble a top four juggernaut, having taken four points from the top three in a week, they marmalised a dismal Cardiff City at the Stadium of Light to haul themselves out of the bottom three for the first time since October. With Norwich, Cardiff and Fulham facing stiffer fixture challenges, the money and momentum must be with the mackems, although they are the next victims of the Giggs inspired Man Utd revival on Saturday. Norwich go to Chelsea and seem to be resorting to prayer whereas Fulham, seemingly within sight of salvation last weekend leading Hull City 2-0 with 15 minutes to go at home, contrived to draw 2-2 and hand the initiative away. Fulham’s tactical rous to hold the 2-0 lead was among the worst football management we’ve seen this season. Sometimes the game really is about managers– though not nearly as much as we’re led to believe in this day and age of tactical referendum on any given half. Two tricky games away to Stoke and home to Palace mean even two wins might not be enough to keep the Cottagers from becoming the Championship’s sixth or seventh London team next season.*
Arsenal looked like their early season selves again thumping an increasingly mutinous looking Newcastle 3-0 leaving Alan Pardew as precarious as a man with a six year contract could be, while even poor Sam Allardyce was facing the West Ham fans banners and wrath after keeping them in the EPL for another season after winning promotion with them. His crimes of being northern and abrasive notwithstanding, West Ham, like Newcastle, are one of these teams that would rather lose 4-3 then draw 0-0.
Liverpool travel to mid-table Crystal Palace,— I never get bored of typing that–on Monday as we await the seasons final curtain next weekend.
*assuming QPR don’t go up, Leyton Orient don’t get promoted, and Milwall avoid the drop, and including Reading and Watford who are London teams to all intents and purposes in that the rest of the country hate them.
As noted, Guy Bailey writes on the Barclay’s Premier League for The Yanks Are Coming. Want more Guy Bailey? We highly recommend his new book, Blessay From America, a collection of writings made while living in America, where he married a southern belle and saw his son born, which you can purchase here.