The ‘quadbottle’ is well and truly on. And to think, Piers Morgan was calling this the greatest squad in European history just a few months ago.
Man City rein in Arsenal
The ‘quadbottle’ is well and truly on. And to think, Piers Morgan was calling this the greatest squad in European history just a few months ago. Arsenal just can’t seem to bring it when it matters most. It makes all of Arteta’s strange pseudo-psychological tactics- the lightbulb stuff, lighting a fire on the field- look even more cringy. The more Arteta tries to inject his brand of pop-psychology into the club; the more I worry for them. Arteta was clearly looking for more control from the outset, bringing in Havertz to lead the line while Odegaard came in for Eze. And to be fair, Arsenal did quite well in the early stages. They pressed City high and counterattacked efficiently. But it would be City who took the lead through a moment of Messi-inspired magic from playmaking talisman Cherki, who made Arsenal’s much-ballyhooed defence look quite amateurish. But Arsenal were only behind for seconds, as a determined Havertz charged down the lackadaisical Donnarumma to turn the Etihad into a crypt. City dominated possession for the rest of the half, but Arsenal always looked a threat on the break.
The 2nd half was more of the same, with Doku threatening while Semenyo couldn’t quite get his feet right on that right-hand side. But it was Erling Haaland who would land the decisive blow, sweeping the ball home not too long after Havertz had spurned his own glit-edged chance. Arsenal continued to create decent chances, with a superb Martinelli cross guided over the bar by Havertz deep into stoppage time. The oft-maligned Havertz was excellent for the much of the night, harassing City’s centre-half pairing and bringing the likes of Madueke and Eze into the match. But you would think that Gyokeres would have buried some of those chances. Also, what on earth was Arteta thinking by bringing off Eze when he did? The Englishman was slowly starting to weave a spell in the middle of the park, rattling Donnarumma’s upright with an exquisite left-footed curler. It was just the latest in a series of self-inflicted in-game errors by the ‘master’ tactician.
Sidenote: This is the first time during Arteta’s reign that the Gunners have lost four successive domestic matches. During that run, that have been eliminated from both cups and potentially surrendered control of the league title. They are nowhere near out of it, but don’t let the Artetasexuals convince you that everything is ok.
Bayern cruise to Bundesliga title with four games to spare
Let’s be honest, this hasn’t been a title race for some time. Dortmund flirted with contention like an unsure high-school boy, but it was always going to be Bayern who swept in and stole the girl. Dortmund went full Dortmund mode this past weekend, losing to Hoffenheim to ensure that Bayern needed only a draw at home to Stuttgart to claim the title. Bayern seemed to be feeling hangover effects following that gruelling Champions League tie with Real Madrid, going behind to a Fuhrich strike with just 21 minutes on the board. But Kompany’s heavily rotated squad entered one of their flow states just before the break, scoring a hat-trick of goals in the space of six glorious minutes. Harry Kane came off the bench to get his flowers, prodding in from close range to make it 4-1. The Allianz Arena went into Ibiza mode (even a late Andres goal couldn’t dampen the festivities). Bayern have now won the German title in 12 of the last 13 seasons, breaking the record for most goals ever scored in a Bundesliga campaign. Kompany is on the brink of producing one of the most legendary seasons in the history of one of European football’s most decorated clubs.
Dimarco creates history as Inter inch towards Scudetto crown
Cristian Chivu’s Inter Milan have reestablished their dominance of Italian football in recent weeks, bouncing back from their post-Bodo/Glimt malaise to put themselves on the edge of yet another Scudetto title. They were completely untroubled on Friday night, easing past relegation-threatened Cagliari 3-0 in the latest chapter of their title procession. The first half was a nervy affair, with Inter seemingly biding their time as they probed for Cagliari’s weaknesses. The Nerazzurri found their footing early in the 2nd stanza, as creator-extraordinaire Federico Dimarco fizzed a ball across the face of the box for in-form Marcus Thuram to convert. That gorgeous assist took the industrious Dimarco to 21 goal involvements for this Serie A campaign, making him the first defender to go beyond the 20+ mark since Opta began tracking in 2004/2005. Captaining the side in the absence of Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella was inspirational in the middle of the park. He drove Inter forward with Gerrard-esque determination, scoring a peach to put the game beyond doubt. Sub Piotr Zielinski didn’t feel that Barella’s strike was special enough, scoring a spectacular stoppage-time volley to become the highest scoring Pole in Serie A history.
Real Sociedad stun Atletico to claim 4th Copa del Rey title
Antoine Griezmann was denied his first shot at a fairytale finish to this Atletico career, as Diego Simeone’s side lost to Real Sociedad in an enterprising Copa del Rey final. Griezmann will still have a shot at glory as Atleti square off against Arsenal in the upcoming Champions League semifinals. But this piece of silverware would have been a nice little insurance policy against their more speculative Champions League chances. It was always going to be hard for Atletico to maintain their standards after that emotionally exhausting Champions League brawl with Barcelona. And they got off to a dreadful start, with route one football resulting in Barrenetxea nodding home after just 14 secs (the quickest ever goal in a Copa del Rey final). It was a soft goal that previous Simeone lineups wouldn’t have dared concede (Godin would have done the Gandalf ‘you shall not pass’ thing). But Simeone’s progressive setup didn’t need long to respond, with Griezmann feeding Ademola Lookman to make it 1-1 before the 20-minute mark. Oyarzabal restored the Basque’s side’s lead just before the break, converting from the spot after Musso clumsily caught Guedes when attempting a punch. Atletico carried more of a threat in the 2nd stanza and once again drew level, with the dynamic Julian Alvarez scoring another picture-book goal to make it 2-2. Extra-time came as a boon for Sociedad as Atleti’s midweek European antics started to catch up with them. Simeone’s men did well to make it to the dreaded penalty lottery. It was ironically enough Atletico’s strikers who let them down in the shootout, with Sorloth and Alvarez missing to give Sociedad a night they will never forget. How will this defeat affect Simeone’s psychology with Arsenal around the corner?
Player of the Week- Bernardo Silva
It was tempting to opt for Morgan Gibbs White following that hat-trick over Burnley. But this feels like the right time to celebrate City’s Portuguese Energizer Bunny: Bernardo Silva. The soon-to-be departing Silva was immense in City’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, covering every blade of grass in a performance that underlined his never-say-die attitude. Despite not being the quickest, strongest or most skillful player in the City squad, he always manages to find a way to elevate his performance in these mega clashes. He and Rodri made Rice and Zubimendi look like mid-table ball carriers yesterday. Honestly, Rice for the Ballon d’or must be one of the more desperate shouts I have heard in recent memory. The next thing you will be saying that Mikel Arteta should be one of the top-5 best paid managers in world football. Oh, wait a minute, he already is.
