The only one who’s pretty balloon has been well and truly burst is Ole Gunnar Solskjær. They haven’t yet taken the moon away but don’t hold your breath, this incarnation of a once great club is certainly capable of anything.
Talking of moons, Manchester City seem to be winning trophies more than once in a blue one nowadays so maybe their signature song should relate to the colour of the moon over Manchester at present.
Pep still managed to miss out on the Champion’s League AGAIN, so he will feel that his balloon is a little deflated but an unprecedented domestic treble and the Community Shield will be some consolation to him.
Liverpool will be suffering similar emotions having bagged 97 points for the season. This would have been enough to finish above Manchester United’s treble-winning team and Arsenal’s “Invincibles” but not Pep’s men who finished on 98. Klopp’s balloon will be somewhat re-inflated should his team manage to beat Tottenham in the Champion’s League final.
Maurizio Sarri had a mixed season to say the least. A goalkeeper who refused to be substituted, a 6-0 hammering by Manchester City in February but then reaching the Carabao Cup final, (which they lost to City), the Europa League final, (which they will lose to Arsenal) and finishing third in the Premier League. So, all in all, not a bad debut season for the chain-smoking Italian, (how do you even light a chain?).
Tottenham blew hot, then they blew cold, then their balloon lost some air then someone refilled it and they managed all of this without buying a single player and during a season in which they moved house from White Hart Lane to Wembley and then back again. It must have been very satisfying for Daniel Levy who has now pointed the way for Premier League chairmen to save money in future by telling their managers to do it “the Tottenham way”. We are sure that all managers of Premier League clubs and beyond will join us in thanking Daniel for his example of how to be successful without a budget. 4th place and the Champion’s League final is a phenomenal season for this little London club.
Arsenal never really had a balloon to burst and were never expected to pull up any trees so a 5th place finish is probably about right. They will contest the Europa League final with Chelsea and they will probably win because they need it more than Chelsea do. Either way the season has been somewhat underwhelming for Arsenal fans but at least there has been a different face at the helm!
Back to Manchester United and that 6th place finish. Of the top six the most disappointing season has to be this one. When Solskjær began his reign, (as caretaker manager), his first game was a 5-1 win at Cardiff. Fast forward to the present and the last game of his season was a 0-2 defeat at home to the same team who had already been confirmed as relegated. Words such as “pathetic”, “useless” and “amateurish” spring to mind and it is to be hoped that the Norwegian is given time and a helping hand in rebuilding this shambles into something resembling a football club. Only time will tell if he is the right man for the job and the doubters are already airing their views with the general consensus being that he is not of strong enough character for the task in hand. We shall see.
Anyway, the domestic season is over. We will soon know the city to which the Champion’s League trophy will be heading. Will it be Liverpool or will it be joining the Europa League trophy in London? Who knows? Who really cares?
We don’t.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 