As Arsenal proved this weekend, you don’t always have to lose to lose.
Arsene Wenger’s team’s chances of winning the Premier League are all but over after a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace dropped them 13 points behind league leaders Leicester City.
As if that weren’t bad enough, Arsenal fell to fourth place in the table (based on goal differential) and are only a slim four points from losing their spot in the Champions League.
The Gunners never looked their best on Sunday, despite taking a one-goal lead into the half thanks to an impeccably taken header by Alexis Sanchez. But considering they were up against Crystal Palace, one of the division’s worst sides since December, there seemed to be little to worry about.
Arsenal never seemed to wake up in the second half despite again dominating possession. This inability to put the ball in the back of the net eventually cost them dearly as Palace winger Yannick Bolasie somehow snuck an unthreatening shot past keeper Petr Cech in the 81st minute. In addition to denying the Gunners, the result all but ensured the Eagles’ Premier League safety (they are nine points clear of the relegation zone).
Though most Arsenal fans gave up on the title weeks ago, they could take some solace that their team’s spot in next year’s Champions League looked secure — something that could not be said of any of their traditional Top Four rivals: Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. But now, that’s no longer the case.
“I don’t know how it works mathematically, but we are too disappointed to think about the league,” Wenger said after the game. “We have to think about the Champions League and fight to be in the Champions League.”
Arsenal are level on points with third-place Manchester City, but sit in fourth because of an inferior goal differential. There are just four points separating them from fifth-place Manchester United. Normally sitting between the two Manchester clubs wouldn’t be a bad thing, but in a season in which they’ve both struggled mightily, what does that say about the Gunners? Has everyone just been late to come around to the fact that they’ve been just as bad?
Granted, none of this will matter if Arsenal — one of the league’s most talented sides — play to their ability over the final five weeks. Whether or not the team is as emotionally fragile as some pundits have wondered in the past, four of their five games should be a breeze. If you can’t count on wins against West Brom, Sunderland, Norwich and Aston Villa in the finale, then you really don’t have any place in the Champions League.
There is one tough fixture left, an away game at with the suddenly hot Man City on May 8. What once looked like it could be a title decider may no longer carry the same significance, but if Arsenal slip up and Man United get hot, it could be where the season mutates from a disappointment into a nightmare.
Over the last decade, Arsenal have routinely finished the season strongly when it didn’t matter. Now that there’s something on the line, we’ll see if they can surge when it does.
Are Roberto Martinez’s days at Everton numbered?
While the season could still turn into a nightmare for Arsenal, it already is for Everton.
Despite featuring two of Europe’s brightest young attacking talents in striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Ross Barkley, Roberto Martinez’s side is mired in the bottom half of the table. But it’s not the offense that’s let the team down — they’ve scored more goals than anyone outside the top four — it’s a complete inability to keep the ball out of their own net when it really matters. And that might cost the Spanish manager his job.
As they have for weeks now, the Toffees struggled on Saturday. Though they were thoroughly outplayed by Southampton, they were somehow up in the 68th minute thanks to a scrappy goal by defender Ramiro Funes Mori. So did they buckle down to secure the win? Nope. Everton continued to aimlessly flounder about, and eight minutes later, Southampton Sadio Mane flicked in a cross to earn his team a draw.
Southampton are a good team, so the result can’t be viewed as that much of a disappointment. But Everton never looked they would win, even when they had the lead with just 22 minutes to go. The team seems to just believe it’s going to fold or, even worse, have just given up on their manager completely. Whether it’s through incompetence, naivety or complete disregard, Martinez just has not been able to instill anything resembling a defensive structure in his three years at the club. Sure, they’re pretty going forward, but as has been proven time and time again, that doesn’t matter.
As unthinkable as it may have been at the halfway point, Martinez’s job has to be at risk (and not just because a fan marched onto the field to confront him on Saturday). Everton have a new owner, Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri, who some hope will use his money to turn the club from a seller into a buyer. Based on the club’s performance since the deal went through in February, it’s hard to imagine Martinez being around to reap those benefits.
Goal of the Week
West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell may be a fullback by trade, but Sunday he showed that doesn’t stop him from scoring highlight goals. Just two minutes after his team leveled things up with Leicester, the Hammers defender calmly collected a ball just inside the box and fired it into the top corner to briefly put his team ahead of the league leaders (1:28 mark). It wasn’t enough to help his team’s Champions League chances after Leicester converted a (very harsh) penalty in extra time, but it did ensure that West Ham were the first team not to fall to the Foxes since the first day of March.
Card of the Week
Cresswell’s goal slowed Leicester march to the title just a little bit, but of more concern to the club is how long they’ll be without Jamie Vardy. Early during the second half, the striker, already on a yellow card, went to ground in the box (0:43) and was given a second yellow for diving. The call, which looked to be correct, set Vardy off. The striker berated the ref before walking off the pitch. He will have to miss at least one of his team’s final four games, and the suspension could be extended if he’s deemed to have verbally abused the referee. If Tottenham win on Monday, cutting Leicester’s lead at the top of the table to five points, this card might be the turning point in a stunning comeback.
Post’s Premier League Rankings
Manchester City suddenly have momentum, Liverpool keeps up their fine form and Sunderland earn a priceless victory (last week’s rankings in parentheses).
1. Leicester City (1)
2. Tottenham (2) *
3. Manchester City (5)
4. Arsenal (3)
5. West Ham (4)
6. Manchester United (6)
7. Liverpool (8)
8. Southampton (7)
9. Stoke (10) *
10. Chelsea (9)
11. Watford (14)
12. West Brom (11)
13. Everton (13)
14. Swansea (12)
15. Bournemouth (15)
16. Crystal Palace (16)
17. Sunderland (18)
18. Newcastle (19)
19. Norwich (17)
20. Aston Villa (20)
* Play on Monday