Match Week 37 Recap

In Today’s CleanSheet:

• Headlines 📌

• Current Situation📈📉

• Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥- Pencil These In

• Off Island 🏝️ - Marsch Resurfaces

• Best Bets 💰

Headlines 📌

• The Title Will Come Down to the Final Match Day.

  • City play Spurs Tuesday. A City win and they control their own destiny. A draw or loss and Arsenal control their destiny next Sunday.

  • Goal Differential. The Gunners hold a 3-goal difference advantage over City. That advantage was double digits, but City has picked up 10 goals on Arsenal over the last 7 games. City’s goal difference during that time has been 23 (4, 4, 2, 4, 4, 2, 3), Arsenal’s has been 13. Goal difference is the first tie breaker ties in the table.

• Relegation All But Decided. Forest have secured staying up unless they lose by a ton Sunday and Luton Town win by a ton. Not going to happen.

• Best Keeper in the World, hmmm, maybe not. A couple weeks ago many people talked about Emi Martinez being the best goalkeeper in the world. He had been Argentina’s keeper in their world cup shoot out championship win, and he had just won a shootout to help Villa advance in the Europa Conference. BUT - this just may take him off the list and out of the discussion.

• 5-Goal Thriller. Forest 2-3 Chelsea. A back-and-forth match with both sides playing with some desperation. A point by Forest would officially keep them up, and Chelsea needed 3 points to keep Europe positioning in play. It looked like Forest were going to steal a win when they went up 2-1 at 74’. But Chelsea scored 2 in 2 min, Raheem Sterling evened it up at 80’ and Nicolas Jackson put Chelsea in the lead for good at 82’.

  • This is how close Forest came to clinching. How is this not a goal.

• St James’ Park. Newcastle scored in every match they played at home this season, the first time they’ve done that since 1958/59.

Match Week 37 Recap - Organized by 🏇🏇Races🏇🏇

• The Gunners had won only 1 time in their last 16 tries at MU and that would’ve been 1 in 17 if United had a full-strength side, but they didn’t, and the Gunners got out of Old Trafford with their “C” game.

  • One is all the Gunners needed. Trossard at 22’.

• Another dominating performance by City. Closer than the final score midway through the 2H, but never felt in doubt.

  • 1-0 at 11’, and stayed that way into HT.

  • Foden, 2-0 at 59’.

  • Gvardiol with the brace at 71’.

  • Red Card, Penalty, 4-0.

Next up - City travel to Tottenham Tuesday, 2pm cst.

Man City have not won away at Tottenham in 2,023 days, over 5 years. Ange says Spurs are 100% focused on winning the match as the fans want them to lose so their North London rival, Arsenal, do not win the league. Spurs have the firepower to run with City and both sides are not really Clean Sheet kind of clubs. Feels like Spurs will need to score 3-4 to have a chance to win.

Tottenham got a key 3 points that still give them a chance at the CL, if they can beat City mid-week. Just as importantly went 6 points clear of Newcastle and Chelsea for the final EC spot. Mid-Week matches will have a big say in who makes the Europe positions.

Biggest Winners: Spurs, Chelsea, West Ham and Villa for getting the 1 point late.

Biggest Losers: Man United, West Ham.

Work To Be Done: Newcastle.

• Instant Classic. Villa 3-3 Liverpool. What a WILD match.

  • A Major Scene. Villa is pushing for CL and the atmosphere for their final home match of the season was AWESOME.

  • 1 Min. 1-0 to Liverpool on this Emi Martinez mistake.

  • But former Leicester City star Youri Tielemans got the Villa Park crowd right back into it, 1-1.

  • Liverpool finds the net again, this time Gakpo at 23’. 2-1 Liverpool.

  • A GREAT HEADER puts Liverpool up 2, 3-1 at 48’.

  • At 85’, Jhon Duran gives Villa a chance.

  • And then the double, Jhon Duran at 88’ ties it up.

  • Up The Villa! Thanks Unai Emery.

• Spurs Do Enough. Tottenham 2-1 Burnley. Just short. That’s been the theme for the Clarets this season and Saturday at Hotspur Stadium. An 82’ goal by Micky van de Ven gave Spurs the deserved 3 points and officially sent Burnley to the Championship next season.

• Magpies Do Not Do Enough. Newcastle 1-1 BHA. It’s a long trip from the South Coast up to Newcastle but BHA made it worth their while securing a point at St James’ Park. This was not a clean match by either side and very disappointing for Newcastle whose European hopes took a dent.

• Chelsea Win Again. See Above.

• Relegation In View. West Ham 3-1 Luton Town. Luton Town scored again but it was their defense that let them down at West Ham. Taking a lead into HT that Hatters were beaten by three goals in the 2H. The Hammer’s deserved all three points.

Next up - Man United host Newcastle Wednesday, 2pm cst.

Newcastle has a big goal differential lead so this is must win for Man United if they want to pass Newcastle.

Next Up - Chelsea travels to BHA Wednesday, 145pm cst.

Points by Chelsea and any stumble by Newcastle and the Blues would go into the final match day in a Europe spot.

Biggest Winners: Forest, without winning but basically secured safety after Burnley and Luton Town Loss.

Biggest Losers: Luton Town, Burnley.

Current Situation 📈📉

Clean Sheets Counter

The average number of clean sheets historically for the PL is 5.5 per match week, or 209 for a season. This season will end nowhere near that number, currently sitting at 150. This coincides with the record being set for goals in a season. The most goals scored in a PL season was 1084, last year. This season has already set the record, currently sitting at 1166, and we will see where it ends.

Hot Topic 🔥🔥🔥

Pencil These In - If you like playoffs with promotion and titles on the line, pencil these matches in.

Both game 1 of the semi-finals finished 0-0, advantage teams heading home, Leeds and Southampton.

Championship - Semi-Finals Home & Away May 12 & 16/17, Finals May 26.

• (4) Norwich (last in PL in 2021/22) v (1) Leeds (2022/23).

  • Game 1 0-0, Leeds host Norwich Thursday, 5/16

• (3) West Bromwich (2021/22) v (2) Southampton (2004/05).

  • Game 1 0-0, Southampton host West Bromwich Friday, 5/16

League 1 - Finals May 18.

• (4) Oxford v (1) Bolton Wanderers

League 2 - Finals May 19.

• (4) Crawley v (3) Crewe

Off Island 🏝️

Jesse Marsch is set to become Manager of the Canadian National Team.

• Marsch, born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, (Racine Case HS) played college soccer at Princeton and then professionally in MLS and with the USMNT.

• As a manager, Marsch started managing in MLS where he was part of the NY Red Bulls. Red Bull owns several teams around the world and Marsch moved to Austria with FC Red Bull Salzburg and then to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

• From there, Marsch was named Leed’s United manager in 2022 and led the club out of relegation and into a second PL season but was sacked mid-season in 2023.

League Kick Around - Here’s a quick look at what remains in the major leagues across Europe.

Champions League

Finals - London, England - Saturday June 1, 2pm on CBS

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) +450 v Real Madrid (Spain) -180

Europa League

Finals - Dublin, Ireland - Wednesday May 22, 2pm on CBS

Atalanta (Italy) +320 v Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) -120

Europa Conference League

Finals - Dublin, Ireland - Wednesday May 29, 2pm on CBS

Olympiacos (Greece) +206 v Fiorentina (Italy) +128

Best Bets 💰

Mid-week bets incoming.

Mid-Week Matches

Man City to Win at Tottenham -189. $189.

City has been dominating teams. Spurs rival (Arsenal) need City to lose to win the title. Spurs would need to get zero points and have both Newcastle and Chelsea to win their final two matches for Spurs to potentially miss out on EC. Could Spurs score with City, yes. Is it at Spurs, yes. Will City stumble, no. I got this number over the weekend, I expect it to only be bigger.

Chelsea to Win at BHA +105. $40

BHA found a way to get a good point at Newcastle. Chelsea have been playing great soccer. The Blues are better, and they are also fighting for a big prize. Cole Palmer will be the difference. I like getting Chelsea and plus odds.

Man United Newcastle U3.5 +105. $40

The Magpies have been excellent defensively on the road. United are just lacking fire power. I like getting plus odds on the under.