Is a column that I would probably be writing in May about Manchester City after they win the Premier League title but unfortunately for my loyal readers (of which there are some) this is my last ever article on the website, so therefore I will have to give an end of series and not end of season review.
That review takes up to February with just over two months of the domestic season left to go and even as we enter the final third of the campaign it is a shame that the title race has been already run. Pep Guardiola’s men have won at a canter and observers have to now look down the table for the real battles.
If the race for top spot is complete then the same can certainly not be said for the Champions League places, at it’s most generous it is five teams fighting over three berths, however you can also say that Manchester United are the best of the rest and are just about pulling themselves clear of any intense battle.
One that ultimately is focusing on London, Liverpool have been a breathe of fresh air going forward this season and it is that endeavour in the final third which makes them good value for a return to Europe’s top club competition next time around.
Therefore it is looking like a straight shootout by the capital trio, as we well know three into one just won’t go but who will be the one sitting pretty (or fourth) come May. More importantly will Antonio Conte still be in a job at that point.
He wants backing and right now it looks like that the only people that will give it to him are fans of the two clubs in the North London. They know that if the former Italy and Juventus boss stays in the Stamford Bridge helm then the rot will continue to set in.
A rot that will only make a top four finish all the more difficult, it seems as if there is a sense of deja-vu or should that perhaps be deja-blue as it looks like the players are throwing in the towel in West London in a bid to get their manager the boot.
If that is to be the case then Guus Hiddink will no doubt be on speed dial, something that will probably be the case in 2050 when Giorgio Chiellini has been sacked and the former Netherlands manager becomes the first ever hologram to take charge of a Premier League outfit.
While at the bottom your guess as to who goes down is as good as mine, Watford’s rinse and repeat tactics in terms of managers looks like they will find an upward curve to their results again but as of this point you honestly could make a case for three of ten teams to be relegated.
Maybe it needs ten teams to be relegated to rid the league of what has been a rather sterile bottom half of the table, playing not to lose instead of trying to win means the fear has set in and this safety first attitude has created something of an eyesore.
Still radical plans like that are not around the corner so if I had to pick three teams it would be West Brom, Huddersfield and Newcastle. That is my gun to the head moment as to who I think will be relegated, I will have to make a mental note to see if I am correct at the end of the season.
While at the end of the season there is the World Cup, this is going to be an interesting one not because of matters on the pitch but for the fact it is in Russia. It’s either going to be insanely bad or insanely brilliant, which ever one it is I will be watching every minute of it. Any worries about Human Rights can be parked for a month, I’m more worried about VAR…
Oh and why not. Tottenham to win the Champions League
No next week but I’d just like to thank the people who have given me the platform to write on this website over the past year. Like all the best things they come to a slightly premature end but this is with good reason as my career path in the world of football media takes a slightly different turn and the day to day writing goes on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
If you are reading this and have desires to become a football writer (whether I’ve inspired you I’m not sure), then quite simply my advice would be to do so. It doesn’t matter what age you are there is always an opportunity to try something new and more importantly flourish. All the best and thanks for reading.