Manchester City are back on top of the Premier League after the 32nd matchday. Pep Guardiola’s men are peaking at the right time, which is expected at this point of the season, so a potential treble is on the cards once again because they still have the Champions League and FA Cup to play for too.
Meanwhile, on the red side of Manchester, Manchester United are in crisis mode because they’ve been on a rough stretch of putrid Premier League 2024 results.
The Red Devils are in danger of achieving their worst finish in Premier League history if they keep this up. And Chelsea, for example, can use this to their advantage.
Manchester City got the breaks they need
Another Premier League title is on the cards for Manchester City, as per the SBOTOP Premier League 2024 odds, because they haven’t lost a single game this year, and they have the greatest run-in between them and fellow contenders Liverpool and Arsenal.
Manchester City stretched their winning streak to three consecutive league matches when they dispatched Luton Town 5-1 on Saturday. Daiki Hasikioka’s own goals and goals from Mateo Kovacic, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Josko Gvardiol did the job for the Sky Blues, while Ross Barkley prevented a clean sheet for the Hatters.
In the same weekend, Arsenal and Liverpool suffered losses and dropped points, and Manchester City have Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to thank for that.
Liverpool are now on a two-game losing streak in Anfield across all competitions after they were demolished by Atalanta in the Europa League and Crystal Palace last time out.
As for Arsenal, their undefeated streak was ended by Aston Villa, as Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins had two late goals for the 2-0 win.
But even after all these, Manchester City’s table lead over Arsenal and Liverpool is only two points, so Pep Guardiola’s men still have work to do.
More drama, less points for Manchester United
Manchester United haven’t won a single game since their dramatic 4-3 FA Cup quarter-finals win over Liverpool, as they were held to draws by Brentford, Liverpool, and Bournemouth, while they lost 4-3 to Chelsea somewhere in between.
This is far from ideal for Erik ten Hag because they’re way off pace in the Champions League race, as well as looking ahead of their FA cup semi-finals showdown against Coventry.
After another disappointing draw against Bournemouth, Manchester United invited controversy anew when Alejandro Garnacho liked a couple of tweets which suggested that Erik ten Hag threw him under the bus when he was replaced by Amad Diallo during halftime.
While it is encouraging to see Manchester United scoring more goals lately, their backline has been porous, to say the least, as they’ve conceded eight goals in their last four games, and injuries have played a huge role to their undoing.
With Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans being their most recent absentees, that leaves Manchester United having only Willy Kambwala and Harry Maguire as their only healthy centre-backs. Moreover, Scott McTominay’s recent absence further depleted the team’s attacking options.
Sheffield United and Burnley are the Red Devils’ next Premier League opponents to round up the month of April. However, with the way they’re playing now, we won’t be surprised if they’ll continue to drop points by then.
Looking back at last season, it’s clear that Erik ten Hag overachieved in his debut season at Manchester United, so fans must exercise patience with the Dutchman and INEOS.
Chelsea making a case for European football
Since losing to Liverpool in the EFL Cup finals, Chelsea are now unbeaten in eight games across all competitions. Because of this, they improved to ninth in the English top-flight standings.
And because their only trailing by three points against sixth-seeded Newcastle United, they have a realistic chance of making it back to Europe with two games in hand.
The Blues’ confidence is at an all-time high after they wrecked the Toffees with a 6-0 scoreline last night, as Cole Palmer recorded four goals while Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist had one each.
However, it was not without controversy for Chelsea, as Mauricio Pochettino fired a stern warning for Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson after the game when they were involved in a bust-up with Cole Palmer.
Madueke, Jackson, and Palmer disagreed over who should’ve taken the penalty in the 64th minute, which is something that never should’ve happened according to Pochettino.
Pochettino reiterated that Cole Palmer is the Blues’ lead penalty taker, and for good reason, because he is their top scorer with 23 goals this year.
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