Page 9 - Soccer360 Issue 105

IMPORTANT
FIXTURES
MARCH
16- Arsenal v Chelsea (London Derby)
16- Luton v Nottingham Forest (Relagation Battle)
17- Everton v Liverpool (Merseyside Derby)
31- Manchester City v Arsenal
APRIL
3- Chelsea v Manchester United
3- Manchester City v Aston Villa
6- Everton v Burnley (Relagation Battle)
6- Manchester United v Liverpool (Northwest Derby)
13- Arsenal v Aston Villa
20- Everton v Nottingham Forest (Relagation Battle)
20- Tottenham v Manchester City
20- Manchester United v Newcastle
27- Tottenham v Arsenal
(North London Derby)
MAY
4- Liverpool v Tottenham
4- Brighton v Aston Villa
11- Manchester United v Arsenal
11- Aston Villa v Liverpool
11- Everton v Sheffiled United (Relagation Battle)
19- Burnley v Nottingham Forest (Relagation Battle)
ABOVE:
Haaland with the Premier League trophy last year
FAR RIGHT:
Chelsea winning it all in 2010
FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE):
The Gunners have continued to challenge this season
LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE):
Liverpool have been the real sensation in the Premier League this year
TOP (OPPOSITE PAGE):
Manchester City have not had it all their own way this season
4 IN A ROW
As Manchester City aim for four straight Premier League titles, Dan Roberts looks back at rivals Manchester United’s two previous attempts at achieving this feat.
Pep Guardiola has the chance to
make history this season by leading Manchester City to an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title. They have every chance of achieving it and are many people’s favourites, but they face strong competition from Arsenal and Liverpool. If they were to fall short,
it would be the latest occasion where a team hasn’t quite managed to make that particular piece of history.
Their rivals Manchester United are the club that has come closest to making
it four in a row in recent years, failing
in 2002 and 2010. On both occasions,
it was London clubs that spoiled the Mancunian party - first Arsenal and then Chelsea.
In the 2001-02 season, sparring partners Arsenal and Manchester United were joined by Liverpool and Newcastle United in a pulsating title race. A
Sylvain Wiltord goal in a 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal at Old Trafford in the penultimate game eventually did for
the Red Devils as they eventually came third - and they would not win the league again for another three years. Coincidentally, that would be the next time that they began a run for four titles in a row.
By the time of the 2009-10 season, United had won the league three years running but faced an electrifying Chelsea team that went on to score a then Premier League record of 103 goals in 38 games. It all went down to the final game of the season though, with Chelsea’s 8-0 drubbing of Wigan Athletic enough to win the title by a single point, rendering Man Utd’s own 4-0 win over Stoke City academic. Carlo Ancelotti’s Blues then went on to complete their first league and cup double by winning the FA Cup.
in Italy but the situation in England, Spain, and Germany was very much a case of the same old story. Last year did see some challenges to the supposed natural order
of things though - and campaigns in all
four countries have been noticeably more competitive, with a number of teams looking to break the monopolies enjoyed by the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. As we reach the final weeks and months of the season, it is looking even more likely that we will be seeing some title races going down to the wire and some new names being etched onto trophies. With more money being shared around in the top leagues, the level of competition may finally be increased - albeit among several equally wealthy clubs.
The 2023/24 season saw Burnley, Everton, Luton Town, and Sheffield United all losing their first three games, marking the first occasion in the English top flight that four clubs started the season with such a record.
Evan Ferguson of Brighton & Hove Albion became the latest teenager since Wayne Rooney in 2005 to score over
10 Premier League goals within a single calendar year.
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