Goal of the week
Arsenal were not at their melodic best in their 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday. But at this stage of the season, it’s results, not performances, that matter. The goal that kept them alive in the title race came courtesy of Leandro Trossard, with a hat-tip to Casemiro and André Onana in the United defense.
ARSENAL LEAD AT OLD TRAFFORD. Leandro Trossard's incredible run continues with another huge goal!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 12, 2024
📺 @peacock | #MUNARS pic.twitter.com/rTCYRwEBTO
It’s been a brutal few months for Casemiro, and a particularly gnarly week. Of all his recent errors, his miscue to play Kai Havertz onside ranks near the top of the inexcusable list.
The stills make grim viewing. The full video is even worse. Casemiro meandered back to receive the ball from Onana, expecting the keeper to roll it short. Onana ignored his makeshift defender, opting to hoof it upfield. Once Onana kicked it long, it was over to Casemiro to sprint upfield, bringing him level with the rest of the defensive line. Instead, he dawdled, played Havertz onside and watched as Trossard scored another crucial goal to send the title race to the final day of the season.
Player of the week
Joško Gvardiol scored twice in a resounding 4-0 win away at Fulham to inch Man City closer to the title. He could have become the first Premier League defender to score a hat-trick, but turned down an offer to take a penalty with City leading 3-0, knowing the title race could come down to goal difference. Julián Álvarez slotted it away for City’s fourth.
Gvardiol has become essential to City over the past month. He’s scored five goals in his last seven games, playing in a more attacking role at left-back. “I could have signed the best winger on the planet,” Guardiola of Gvardiol after the match.
Gvardiol was initially signed as a left-sided center-back, one who could slot in at left-back, if required, in Guardiola’s amorphous shape. There was an idea, at least early in the season, that he could step into central midfield, offering to the left-side of City’s attack what John Stones has provided on the right. But it was an iffy fit: things moved too quickly for Gvardiol in the center.
Now, though, he’s shapeshifted into a touchline bomber. Gone is the idea of him as a fullback on paper who really plays in the middle of the pitch. Instead, he is driving up and down the wing.
If there are three things Guardiola covets, it’s technical ability, smarts and versatility. Players need to be able to bounce between positions within a game as much as week to week. The Croat fits the bill. He can still slip in at center back. He can hang in the backline as part of a back three. Or he can push forward, playing as City’s left-sided winger. Against Fulham, Gvardiol toggled between all three. He initially started in the customary deeper role, with City cramming the middle of the pitch with bodies. But as the game developed, Guardiola shifted Gvardiol higher and wider, putting him in a spot usually reserved for Jack Grealish or Jérémy Doku.
Pairing Gvardiol’s position with a narrow trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put Fulham in a bind. Either they had to push out to cover the width of the fullback, leaving space for the trio inside. Or, they could pack the middle and gift Gvardiol the freedom of the left. Neither option worked. By the time they could find a solution – going man-to-man and praying for the best – Guardiola had reverted to a more traditional look, moving his fullback closer to the backline.
Playing in the auxiliary winger role, Gvardiol has been at his best. It’s been a slow burn, but since 1 January, he leads all Premier League fullbacks in xGBuildup, a measure of creative involvement. Guardiola took a player who once had difficult moments in possession and has made him a feature of the team’s buildup play. As a manager, Guardiola is working with a stacked deck. But as coaching goes, that’s as good as it gets.
Celebrity sighting of the week
Credit to Noel Gallagher for refusing to join Man City’s Poznan.
Noel Gallagher refusing to join in with @ManCity fans’ Poznan celebrations after going 3-0 up at Fulham
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 11, 2024
🙅 @NoelGallagher pic.twitter.com/XKAtnOQVhn
Some things are bigger than football.
Unwanted record of the week
Abdoulaye Doucouré’s first-half strike for Everton in a 1-0 win was the 101st goal Sheffield United have conceded this season. That’s a new Premier League record, eclipsing the 100 goals Swindon Town conceded in the 1994-95 season … when there were 22 teams in the league and clubs played 42 games. And the Blades still have one more game to go, at home to Tottenham.
Quote of the week
“They’ve given me the best 18 months of my life” – Luton manager Rob Edwards
Luton’s relegation was more or less confirmed after a 3-1 defeat to West Ham. They have not been mathematically relegated, but given Nottingham Forest’s overwhelming goal difference advantage, Luton’s stay in the Premier League is all but over.
Despite relegation, it’s been a magical season. They’ve played energetic, exhilarating football. It’s been all gas, no breaks; all goals, little concern for defense.
In the second half of the season, they’ve had the worst defensive record in the league, with individual mistakes proving too costly at the top level. But with a fraction of the budget of all other Premier League sides, they’ve punched above their weight. That they have been able to stave off (official) relegation until the final week of the season is an achievement unto itself. With a good squad, a talented, young manager and the financial rewards of a year in the top flight, they have a strong chance of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Comeback of the week
On an evening when Nottingham Forest were in a party mood, their survival all but secure, Chelsea played spoilers. The Blues came back from 2-1 down to win 3-2, thanks to second-half substitutes Raheem Sterling and Reece James.
Nicolas Jackson completed the comeback with a header from a James cross in the 82nd minute.
NICOLAS JACKSON celebrating with the Chelsea supporters after his late winner against Nottingham Forest.
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) May 11, 2024
Outpouring of sheer passion from the striker after scoring his 4th goal in as many games, having major impact on turning around season for Pochettino’s side. 💙 pic.twitter.com/EpR7CcybYW
Jackson has been on the rough end of football’s meme culture this season. He’s missed a ton of chances – and easy chances, at that. There’s a goofy side to his game. The botched touches. The shots from weird angles. The penalty blowups. But it’s worth surveying the bigger picture. At 22 years old, Jackson has scored 14 goals and added two assists in his debut season in the league, a strong return for a young forward in a fractured team. Add his goal involvements together, and he’s outpacing Kai Havertz, Darwin Núñez and Marcus Rashford – and he’s level with Julián Álvarez.
Chelsea may chase an upgrade this summer, but Jackson has shown that he has the talent to spearhead a Premier League attack.
Coach of the week
It’s become a familiar sight with Crystal Palace: quick, interchanging play upfront; hounding defense all over the pitch. After throttling Manchester United 4-0 at home on Monday, they were clinical in a 3-1 win away at Wolves on Saturday. Palace held their opponents to relatively few chances through the opening hour and were ruthless on the break.
It’s hard to overstate the impact Oliver Glasner has had since joining in February. By points alone, Palace are fifth in the league since Glasner’s appointment.
Under Glasner, Palace have been an attacking marvel. The combination play between Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta has been electric. On Saturday, the three combined – again – to score a goal apiece. But Palace’s work without the ball has been just as impressive. By effectively splitting the team in two – the forward three up top, the rest of the side sitting behind the ball, with a pair of midfield runners acting as conduits between the two – Glasner has been able to congest the middle of the pitch. With a crowd in midfield, he can deploy a high-octane press.
Under Roy Hodgson, Palace were the most passive team in the league. With Glasner, they’ve ratcheted up the intensity to Exorcist levels. It’s led to stifling defense. Pre-Glasner this season, Palace conceded 43 goals in the games, an average of 1.8 a game. The underlying metrics reflected the reality; they conceded 1.62 xG Against per game in that span. Under Glasner, that’s flipped. Palace have conceded just 1.1 goals per game since Glasner’s arrival, with their xG Against receding to 1.3.
The 4-0 win over Manchester United last Monday, under the lights at Selhurst Park, will live long in the memory. But Saturday’s performance was telling of the side Palace can be next season, provided they stave off the transfer vultures.
