There’s been little about Arsenal’s title-winning campaign that has made much sense. Champions very rarely score more than 40% of their goals from set-pieces.
Arsenal lift Premier League trophy while Pep bids farewell
Champions very rarely score more than 40% of their goals from set-pieces. And no Prem side has ever gone through a season without conceding a penalty or red card. Having said all that, the sight of Martin Odegaard lifting the Premier League trophy may be the most surreal moment yet. It’s like Billy Zane going up to accept the Best Picture Oscar for Titanic (a bit of a deep cut there). I know he’s the club captain, but it doesn’t really feel like he’s been one of the integral members of the squad. In any event, Arsenal did get their day in the sun following a 2-1 win at Palace. Now it’s on to Budapest. This wasn’t the only positive North London news, as Spurs managed to avoid the dreaded drop after a 1-0 win over Everton. The result confirmed West Ham’s relegation, likely bringing to an end Nuno Espirito Santos’ miserable reign
Pep Guardiola took charge of his last game as City manager yesterday, overseeing a 2-1 home defeat to Villa that seemingly justified his recent announcement. It was a bittersweet sendoff for a man who has almost single-handedly elevated City to the upper echelons of European football. Naysayers may point to the lingering 115 charges as the reason for his departure (he wants to get ahead of the disaster, etc). I personally think he realizes that this club- which he loves- could do with an injection of new ideas. Going out with a domestic-cup double isn’t the worst way to bow out (especially when the team that pipped you to the post in the league managed by your protégé). He has shaped the destiny of English football, with every manager indebted to his innovations and tactical acumen.
Kane cuts through the smoke as Bayern secure league/cup double
Harry Kane has certainly made up for all those trophyless seasons at Spurs, collecting his first DFL-Pokal Cup after Die Roten thrashed Stuttgart 3-0 at the Olympiastadion. This was the first time since 2020 that Germany’s flagship club had reached the final of this competition (that’s Champions League fetishism in full effect). And there was little to pick between the two sides in the first stanza, with Maxmillian Mittelstadt and Chris Fuhrich producing threatening moments for the underdogs. But Harry Kane was a man on a mission in that 2nd half, scoring his 12th Bayern Munich hat-trick to add some gloss to Kompany’s title-winning campaign. Kane’s hat-trick played out against a dramatic backdrop, as Bayern and Stuttgart fans joined forces to protest the German Football Federation’s plans to amp up security in coming seasons. Fireworks were let off, enveloping the action in a dense layer of smoke that gave the final an epic- albeit confusing- feel. Kane emerged from that smoke triumphant, ending the season with a mind-boggling 61 goals in 51 appearances.
Mbappe secures Pichichi Trophy while Girona face humiliation
Kylian Mbappe has come in for his fair share of criticism in recent weeks, with many- myself included- acknowledging that Real Madrid have endured a significant downturn since his mega-money arrival. Despite all the goals, Mbappe has destabilized the structure of the side. He doesn’t track consistently and has too much positional overlap with Vini Jr (they both do their best work off that left-hand wing). But he did what he does best in Real Madrid’s 4-2 win over Athletic Club, whipping a ball in from 25 yards to score his 25th La Liga goal of the campaign. The goal was significant, pulling him two clear of Mallorca’s Verat Muriqi in the Pichichi standings. While he is yet to secure any major silverware in Madrid, he added to his individual trophy cabinet with that 2nd Pichichi Trophy. That glaring contrast tells you something about the Mbappe dilemma.
This weekend also saw Girona endure the ultimate indignity, relegated from La Liga just two years after qualifying for Champions League football. They did it in rather dispiriting style, drawing 1-1 at home with Elche when a win would have seen them survive. Their narrative is a case study in how not to handle unexpected success. Incorporated into the City Football Group in 2017, Girona came on in leaps and bounds under Michel’s guidance. They utilized a high-octane, modernized version of the Tiki-Taka football popularized by City guru Pep Guardiola, finishing 3rd in the 2023/2024 La Liga campaign. But the overachieving feeder club invariably lost their high-quality talent. And they haven’t been able to do a Bournemouth and replenish their ranks, creating a ticking timebomb that exploded in disastrous fashion. Perhaps their plight is a bit of a referendum on the high-risk, high-reward version of Tiki-Taka that Michel wanted to implement. Michel has now left the club and appears to be twerking for that Pep vacancy (I don’t think he has much of a shot right now). If only Pep had stepped down right after the treble-winning campaign.
Como steal Champions League place from Allegri’s Milan
What drama! Cesc Fabregas solidified his status as one of Europe’s most in-demand managers by guiding Como into the Champions League for the first time in their history. And they did it in typically swashbuckling fashion, putting Cremonese to the sword in a brazen 4-1 win. It is a crowning achievement for a club that was playing in Serie D just seven years ago! It’s like Wrexham without the off-putting presence of Ryan Reynolds. But there had to be a nightmare to counterbalance this remarkable fairytale ending. What on earth happened to AC Milan yesterday? All they needed to do was avoid defeat at home to Caligari- who were fighting for nothing- and they would have eased their way into Champions League football. And Allegri’s men started in the best way possible, with Saelemaekers taking advantage of some route one football to give Milan a 2nd minute lead. Allegri just needed to use all that tactical nous to see the game out. But Caligari had other ideas, equalizing in the 19th minute before claiming all three points in the 56th. Allegri’s side have struggled for goals since the turn of the year and looked utterly clueless chasing the game, with Pulisic and Leao resembling a pair of Sunday League players who had won a competition. Let’s hope this brings an end to Allegri-ball. His ultra-pragmatic approach just isn’t sustainable in modern football. AC Milan need someone like Chivu, who embraces a less rigid, more Gasperini-esque approach to the game. Oh, and let’s congratulate Roma for doing the business and winning 2-0 at Verona, returning to Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2018/2019.
Player of the Week- Harry Kane
It had to be him again. Kane never did his Ballon d’or hopes any harm with his most recent display of goal-scoring prowess. His most recent hat-trick felt like a summation of his entire campaign: you had a swooping header, rasping long-range effort and a trademark spot-kick. Kane should be an absolute force at the upcoming World Cup. Tuchel is intent on playing old-fashioned wingers such as Rashford and Gordon, who will attack their fullbacks and look to get the ball into the box. Kane should be in the position- provided he doesn’t drop too much into that 10 role- to slot home a few tap-ins.
