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Today, we are sliding into the weekend — and the Premier League’s conclusion — like Ilia Gruev…
On the way:
4️⃣ Manchester City, history and that number
👀 Messi’s jaw-dropping salary
👋 What makes Klopp unique, ahead of his final Liverpool game
🎥 Which clubs’ fans want to ditch VAR?
History Awaits 🏆🏆🏆🏆
Manchester City’s wonderful team and the 115 charges – can the two be separated?
The Premier League is a simple division: 20 teams chase balls around for 38 games and, in the end, Manchester City always win.
There is a sprinkling of jeopardy this season with the title race going down to the final day but this isn’t City’s first rodeo — and every time they have been in this scenario they have emerged victorious.
City are on match point again but as Pep Guardiola pointed out this week, when trying to win Wimbledon, the final serve is often the hardest. An emphatic ace is expected, however, given opponents West Ham have conceded 10 times in their last two away games.
Winning three successive titles has been achieved on only five occasions — City’s rivals United have done it twice — and nobody has ever won four in a row.
Why? It’s bloody hard. There’s disruption in the dugout and on the pitch, ‘Hey, let’s try and win another cup’, which brings further distractions, plus other teams get better.
But City have the wealth, the players and Guardiola. That cocktail should see them make history on Sunday.
📺 Manchester City vs West Ham, Sunday, 11 am ET / 4pm UK — NBC, Sky Sports Main Event
Arsenal’s admirable effort
Speaking of teams improving, Arsenal are on a seemingly continuous upward curve. Should Mikel Arteta’s side take the title — they need to win and hope City draw or lose — it would be an amazing achievement.
Over the past five seasons, they have finished 8th, 8th, 5th, 2nd and (likely) 2nd. Not only have they have recorded their most wins in a single campaign (27), but they have gone unbeaten against all the ‘Big Six’ sides and won 15 of their last 17 games.
Arsenal’s consistency is admirable, writes Art de Roché. They are here to stay. But as Liverpool found, being exceptional has often proved not enough when City are involved.
📺 Arsenal vs Everton, Sunday, 11 am ET / 4pm UK — USA Network, TNT Sports 1
The number that won’t go away
You see that in the corner of the room? It’s a big, fat elephant.
City’s achievements are impressive but we can’t ignore the 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules (which they deny), across nine different seasons.
They have been referred to an independent regulatory commission but the date the case will be heard remains unspecified. While the logistics of the final day are complicated and fascinating, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has decided not to hand over the trophy himself, should City clinch it on Sunday.
It’s all very complicated but is it possible — as Oliver Kay asks today — to separate Guardiola’s gloriously talented team on the pitch and the charges off it?
Messi’s Mad Money 💰
It is no surprise Lionel Messi is a handsomely paid chap, but the figures revealed about the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner are staggering nonetheless.
The Inter Miami captain’s pay package of $20.4million (£16.1m) per year (guaranteed) is more than the compensation totals of 25 MLS rosters. The commercial value is undoubted and, importantly, he is still making magic on the pitch for the Eastern Conference leaders.
The Athletic’s John Muller detailed why the 36-year-old is putting together the greatest individual season in MLS history. He is certainly earning his dough.
Talking A Good Game 🗣️
Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton
“In the past 30 to 40 years, not many coaches have changed a club like Jurgen. Louis van Gaal at Ajax, Johan Cruyff at Barca, Pep Guardiola at Barca, Arrigo Sacchi at Milan. Then, for me, Jurgen here.” — Pep Lijnders, Liverpool assistant manager
Nine years. Eight trophies. Klopp is the man who made Liverpool believe.
He will manage his final game for his team this weekend, and James Pearce has spoken to staff and players on why he’s been such a success.
NEWS: It’s not only Klopp who will leave this summer — Thiago and Joel Matip have just announced their exits too.
Around The Athletic FC 🌎
📺 Bayer Leverkusen vs Augsburg, Saturday, 9.30am ET 2.30pm UK, ESPN+, Sky Sports Arena
VAR Vote II 🗳️
VAR…or VA-arrrghhh? That’s how The Athletic’s subscribers feel about the technology proving so divisive that Premier League clubs will vote on its future next month, as David Ornstein exclusively revealed.
After 51% of our subscribers voted to keep VAR yesterday, we then asked: should your club vote to scrap it?
And fans from 15 of the PL’s 20 clubs overwhelmingly voted ‘yes’. Unsurprisingly, 90% of supporters from Wolves, the club who put forward the proposal, voted in favour. Interestingly, fans from three of the league’s top four sides mainly voted ‘no’. Take from that what you will.
Quiz Question ❓
Who are the two missing players from the list below?
2010-11: Cristian Riveros; 2011-12: ??????; 2012-13: Urby Emanuelson; 2013-14: Chris David; 2014-15: Loic Remy; 2015-16: Chris Smalling; 2016-17: Michy Batshuayi; 2017-18: ??????
Stuck? We’ll reveal the answer on our website here in a few hours — and in Monday’s newsletter
(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Read the full article here