Matchday 38: To the 90th Minute
As the months of April and May approach, so does the end of domestic football in Europe. Of the five major leagues, the Premier League always brings the most competitiveness and flair in the final weeks. Last year's Matchday 38 was one of the most thrilling and entertaining finishes the league has ever seen, with Liverpool and Manchester City both vying for the title in their respective final matches. Manchester City ended on top, winning their second consecutive league title after finishing one point ahead of Liverpool in 2nd place.
One of the most surprising storylines of the 2022-23 campaign has been the rise of smaller-market teams to the top 10. As of April 19, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton, Brentford, and Fulham are all 10th or better. No one would have ever expected these clubs to be here, let alone for Newcastle to be fighting for a spot in the Champions League. On the other end of the spectrum, some clubs have had incredibly disappointing seasons compared to last year. West Ham United are currently in the semifinals of the Europa Conference League, yet they are in the midst of a battle to avoid relegation to the Championship. As for Chelsea, a club that won the Champions League just two years ago and made the final of the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, they have been no different. They currently sit at 11th in the table and have not won in their past five matches. The most disappointing part of their season, however, is the fact that they have had four different managers this season. Their choice to sack Thomas Tuchel amidst his 60% win rate for the club was a very questionable one that drew lots of criticism from fans worldwide.
On the subject of managers, another facet of this season that has been interesting is the number of changes that have taken place since the season began in August. So far, a record-breaking 12 different managers have been sacked. Many of these changes have occurred within smaller clubs due to lackluster performance, however one of these actually made a significant impact on the club's overall gameplay. Aston Villa sacked manager Steven Gerrard in October and replaced him with Unai Emery, who had previously managed La Liga club Villarreal. When this took place during Matchday 12, Villa sat at 17th with 9 points. Fast forward to Matchday 31, and they are now 6th with 50 points, competing to represent the Premier League in the Europa Conference League or even the Europa or Champions League if they keep up their outstanding win streak. It would be the first time the Villans have played in the Champions League since 1983 if they do so.
Each club has seven matches left to play, some more due to matches occurring in other competitions. The club to keep an eye on in the last few matches is Arsenal, who currently find themselves in 1st place, 4 points ahead of second-place Manchester City. The two clubs are set to face off on April 26th, with the match being a make-or-break situation for both clubs. If Arsenal wins, they can run away with 1st place and surely be the favorites to win the title, but if City wins, it will close Arsenal's lead to 1 point and possibly lead to another Matchday 38 like last year. Beyond that, Arsenal is set to play Chelsea, Newcastle, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves, while Manchester City have the easier remaining schedule of the two, playing Brighton, Fulham, West Ham, Leeds, Chelsea, and Brentford. Their final match against the Bees will be a very entertaining one, as Brentford beat City 2-1 in December.
These last six matches in this Premier League season will be as entertaining as ever. Come this fall, we could see some big name clubs drop down to the Championship, and even some small-market teams playing on some of Europe's biggest stages. These are all reasons why the Premier League is known as the best and most competitive league in football.