Who Wants to Win?

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho couldn't have shown more disdain for the EPL recently if he tried.  Actually I think he did try.  First there was the sarcastic news conference after the Sunderland loss.  Then he essentially said he would be holding out many of his first team players for the match against Liverpool, saving them for what he was clearly saying was the more important Champions League match.  He shows up for the Liverpool contest unshaven, wearing sweat pants and a down vest, looking like he threw that stuff on to get the paper on a cold winter morning.  Jose may be getting his fashion tips from Bill Belichick.  He did keep many regulars out, at least for the start.  And they played a negative, defensive game that, had it not the drama of first playing second, would not have been worth watching.  So how'd that whole "we don't give a crap" strategy work out?  Well Chelsea took away a 2-0 win that once again changed control of the race, this time handing it to Manchester City.

A couple of things.  First, though the starting 11 were not Chelsea's best, they were still more expensive than the Liverpool side, at least based on transfer fees.  How many sides would be happy to start Demba Ba up top?  I can think of at least one squad from the Northeast.  Did you see Mourinho's reaction after the late second goal that clinched the win?  He looked pretty stoked, like he might have even cared about the result.  This week's fake Mourinho quote - "Suckers."

On the other hand, Chelsea lost that Champions League match, rather handily in fact, 1-3 to Atletico, so there will be no cup there for the Blues.  Ooh, and Belgian international Eden Hazard got burned twice while ball watching instead of marking; get that crap out of your system before the World Cup please.  And despite the win over Liverpool, Chelsea needs both Manchester City and Liverpool to mess up to have a shot at the EPL title.  Maybe the fake quote should be "I told you we had no chance."

Manchester City held up their end of the deal with a workmanlike 2-0 win over a tough Crystal Palace side.  Though the Citizens trail Liverpool by three points, they have a game in hand and a substantial lead in the goal differential.  Win their final matches versus Everton, Aston Villa, and West Ham, and the title is likely theirs.  Liverpool need either to see Manchester City stumble or to put up some big numbers against Crystal Palace and Newcastle to overcome the goal differential; right now Newcastle does look capable of being blown out 7-0 but that probably isn't enough.

In the race for the last Champions League spot, Arsenal easily handled the sinking ship called Newcastle United 3-0.  Without Tim Krul's acrobatics, the score could have easily been worse. Right now the only positive thing I can say about the Magpies is they have a great entrance anthem, one of my favorite songs of all time -  Going Home (Theme of the Local Hero) by Mark Knopfler (which I am making this week's YouTubeableMoment because it lifted my spirits).  The news was not so good for Everton as they went down to Southampton 0-2.  The "tricky" match I forecast turned out to include two own goals and two possible PKs in favor of Everton that Michael Oliver chose not to award.  There are own goals that are truly just bad luck and others that are the result of bad choices.  Both of Everton's fell into the latter category, as defenders tried to make tricky headers way too close to the net.  The Toffees are now four points back with two matches left and looking at long odds for the Champions League.

Tottenham solidified their hold on a Europa League spot while Man United at least kept their hopes alive.  The Spurs didn't exactly overwhelm Stoke City, especially given that their hosts spent most of the second half playing with 10 men, but it's hard to complain too much about a 1-0 win on the road against a decent squad.  Man United's 4-0 drubbing dropped Norwich into the relegation zone but was more notable for being Ryan Gigg's debut as interim manager for the Red Devils.  Doesn't sound like Giggs has a shot at the permanent position but it was great to see him in the blazer getting the W.


Down South

Plenty of action down at the relegation end of the table.  Sunderland's 4-0 thrashing of Cardiff City moved the Black Cats out of the relegation zone for the first time in months and has put Cardiff City's hopes of staying up on life support.  Maybe Mr. Tan's boastful pledge that he wasn't going to spend any money in the January transfer window wasn't such a good idea.  Two early second half goals put Fulham up on Hull City but it wasn't a lead they could hold and the match ended in a 2-2 draw; a win would have lifted the Cottagers out of the relegation zone but now they need points in their final matches versus Stoke and Crystal Palace.  Norwich, with matches against Chelsea and Arsenal look destined for relegation.

And what about our heroes of the Midlands?  Aston Villa did not give too good an account of themselves in a 4-1 loss at Swansea, though the final score was a bit overstated.  The Villans fell behind 1-0 but rallied well with a great looking tally from Agbonlahor on a great cross from Albrighton.  But the joy was shortlived as a botched clearance went right to Ernesto Blofeld Jon Jo Shelvey; he calmly deposited a 50 yard shot past Guzan who had perhaps been a bit slow to return to his line.  I would have made it the Youtubeable Moment but the shot has already done enough damage to Dennis's pysche.  Aston Villa didn't fold but they didn't impress either.  Despite a new secret weapon that Dennis unveiled in the first half (see below), the Villans were unable to score again and now find themselves perilously close to falling out of the EPL.  Dennis adds:

This past Christmas, I was fortunate enough to receive an Aston Villa scarf from none other than Christian Benteke (though there is still the possibility that it was actually from some guy named Steve).  Throughout the season I have done various things with said scarf in an attempt to influence the outcome of games - wear it, not wear it, wave it around, throw it to the ground in disgust, etc.  Needing a new tactic and not ready to admit that the scarf might be the problem, I decided that the problem must be the wearer....

The Villans scored within minutes of the scarf transition, and I thought my struggles were over.  Then that silly Jon Jo Shelvey thing happened.  A slight zoom out on that photo really captures the appropriate expression for this game and the entire season....

I make that expression a lot while watching Villa fumble around, miss easy passes, make poor challenges, and somehow seem simultaneously competent yet completely outclassed.  If they don't get a point (heaven forbid they get the full 3) hosting Hull this weekend, Mikey just might be the only one wearing that scarf around here for quite some time.



In other action

In La Liga action, Atletico Madrid moved one step closer to the title with a 1-0 win over Valencia.  That's on top of the aforementioned Champions League win over Chelsea that moves them to the final.  Sevilla may have lost their chance at qualifying for next year's CL as they went down to 4th place Athletic Club Bilbao 3-1.

The Union were close to lifeless in a 1-0 loss in Montreal.  Feels like they have the talent to do better but it's not showing up on the scoreboard yet.  Worse, this was the first time they really didn't look good - like everybody was on a different page.  Perhaps Hackworth is still struggling to find the right line up.


Two weeks to go

Best match at the top end looks to be Everton vs Man City Saturday afternoon at 12:30.  At kickoff, the Toffees will still technically be in the race for the 4th, as Arsenal's match with West Brom isn't until Sunday morning.  Every reason to expect a lively match here.  Everton have only lost twice at Goodison Park this season; Man City was terrible on the road earlier this year but have done better recently.  They may also see the return of David Silva from an ankle injury, which can only help their cause.

Crystal Palace were not a pushover for Man City and could present a bit of a challenge to Liverpool; how will the Reds respond after last week's disappointment?  Chelsea faces Norwich at Stamford Bridge; everything about this says blow out so who knows.

Tottenham begins the weekend out of contention for the Champions League but with a stranglehold on the Europa spot.  A win at West Ham would just about seal it.  Man United, still in the running for a Europa spot, can't afford a slip up as they host Sunderland, who will be playing to stay up in the EPL.

Last place Cardiff City travels to St. James Park to play a Newcastle side with a form guide that says "kick me."  Six straight defeats, two goals in eight matches, 10 goals in 17 matches in 2014, etc., etc.  Despite their recent form, the oddsmakers have the Magpies as a heavy favorite; must not be watching the same games as me.  But the good news is they just revealed their new away kit [uniform] for next season so maybe everything is going to be okay.  If you do ignore my advice and watch this contest, expect to see clever signs around the park calling for Alan Pardew's ouster.  And maybe a fan or two entering the field to return his season ticket to the manager.

19th place Fulham travels to Stoke where the Cottagers are likely underdogs in their late charge to stay up.  And as Dennis mentioned, Aston Villa is hoping for any kind of result at Villa Park as they host Hull City, who are probably safe but wouldn't mind another point or three to be sure.

Our MLS faves, the Union (vs Seattle) and Red Bulls (vs Dallas) face tough road challenges this weekend.  I know I've been critical of all the draws this season but a tie in Seattle would be just fine.

Don't forget to check out the simulation bookings widget on the right side of the home sceen.  We had a couple this weekend.   Dennis will announce the BFS of the Year sometime in late May.