Five of Europe’s top leagues are approaching the milestone of their seasons. In some countries, the usual suspects are in pole position, but aside, we could be in for some surprises. So, who’ll hold their nerves as the season ends? Let’s start by looking at the Premier League title race, where Manchester City are once again on the quest for what would be their third consecutive league victory. Over the last five years, their nearest contender has been Liverpool. But this year, Arsenal have been their main competition.
Mikel Arteta played for Arsenal for five times before turning Guardiola’s assistant coach at Manchester City. In 2019, he left Manchester City to become the first- team coach at his old club and will meet his instructor in the race to win Arsenal’s first Premier League since 2004.
The race for the title has been fearsome. As a result of Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022 and the postponement of games for this season, Arsenal and City didn’t play each other in the league until February, which is expectedly late in the season. Pep’s side came out on top on that occasion, putting themselves ahead of Arsenal, only to lose to Nottingham Forest, allowing Arteta’s side to leapfrog them once again.
After playing one smaller game, Arsenal have a two-point lead over City. With 15 games to go, there’ll be abundance of twists and turns ahead.
Over in Spain, there’s a wider gap at the top. Barcelona are five points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. What is most emotional about their season so far is their defensive record. With just seven goals conceded, that is at least ten smaller than the next-best team. Due to their exit from the Champions League earlier in the season, Barcelona will have to play Europa League football on Thursday nights, which could affect their schedule and form.
I think that the main preference to win a La Liga trophy is Barcelona, not only obviously because they’re leading the league but because of other different factors,” explained Manuel Terradillos, AFLM correspondent.
They’ve a bigger team, and they’ve a team with quality players further than the other teams, which means that they’re less affected by injuries. They’ve Robert Lewandowski, a player who can effortlessly average one goal per game, which means that, as some coaches say, you start every match leading 1- 0.
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Over in Germany, the title race is near than it has been for years. Bayern Munich dominates the league and have won ten successive titles, but the competition for their crown is strict than ever.
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Union Berlin are tied on points. The Union Berlin story, in particular, is very impressive. The club was only promoted from the second division of German football in 2019, and yet only four years later, they’re going toe-to-toe with one of the giants of European football. At the end of February, they will face Bayern at the top of the table when they travel to Munich.
Effects are as expected in France. PSG have a five-point lead over Marseille at the top of Ligue 1. still, the contenders face PSG on Sunday in a game that’s a must-win for them and stop PSG from winning their fourth title in five years.
PSG would set a new record if they stayed ahead and brought the league title back to Paris again. And with players like Neymar, Mbappe, and Messi, it’ll be a massive challenge for Marseille to try and deny PSG another title win.
And eventually, in Italy, Napoli could see itself in the history books. They’re 15 points clear of Inter Milan in this season’s Scudetto. It’s been 33 years since Napoli won the Serie A title. Not since Diego Maradona has Napoli won the coveted trophy, but Coach Spaletti has them on the edge of the feat.
So, there’s plenty of instigative football to watch in Europe as another season comes to an end. There might be a shake-up in some leagues, while in others, the usual suspects will maintain their glory.
