GOAL US breaks down the biggest storylines in the Premier League as the campaign enters its final stretch – and subplot season
It's subplot season. With all of the major storylines in the Premier League more or less wrapped up, it's now about the drama, the little moments to blow out of proportion. Does booing really matter? Who cares if an owner is a bit grumpy at his manager? Does second place – as opposed to third – really mean anything?
These are all questions that have dominated the discourse, and might have some impact. Arsenal have finished second two straight seasons. Dropping into third would represent regression, not ideal for a club that is supposedly "on the rise." Liverpool fans deemed it appropriate to boo Trent Alexander-Arnold at home last weekend, which was admittedly silly.
Doing it again might continue to throw cold water on a season that should really be celebrated. And then there's Nottingham Forest's tension between owner and manager. It doesn't look good, and might impact the club as they hope to squeeze into the Champions League.
GOAL US looks at all of those plot points and more in the Premier League Primer, a weekly rundown of what to watch from an American perspective in England's top flight.
Getty Images SportArsenal try to prevent slide
Things were looking up for Arsenal a just couple of weeks ago. Sure, the Gunners had lost the Premier League to Liverpool, but they were still alive in the Champions League, and playing some good soccer. Bukayo Saka was in form. Declan Rice looked like one of the best in the world. This squad, just coming into its prime, had some hope.
Since then, things have rather tailed off. They surely cannot take too much of a blame for losing to PSG; the Parisians are by some distance the best team in their own country, and would be worthy winners of the Champions League. In the English top flight, though, the Gunners look languid.
They didn't show up for 45 minutes against Liverpool, and were lucky to escape Anfield with a point. But with Newcastle continuing to win games, Arsenal are now in serious danger of finishing third. In abstract, that means little. They will still qualify for Europe, and they still win the league. But it would represent a bit of a collapse from where they might have been a month ago.
The good news? They play their direct competitors for second place on Sunday, hosting Newcastle at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. A win will lock up second. Lose and the picture gets uglier.
AdvertisementAFPNottingham Forest and very angry owners
It's been an exhausting week full of distractions for Nottingham Forest. First, the club blew a lead against Leicester. Then, in that same game, reserve striker Taiwo Awoniyi collided with the post and suffered a severe injury, requiring emergency surgery, ultimately, and a medically induced coma.
Then at full time, part-owner Evangelos Marinakis ran onto the pitch to berate manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The point leaves Champions League qualification out of their own hands. It all looked like a team undergoing a full-scale collapse.
The club have since refuted any claims that the owner had lost his temper – instead saying that Marinakis was concerned about Awoniyi's safety. But the pictures look far different. Marinakis was not losing it over the failure to get a result, they claimed, but due to fears that his reserve striker was hurt (something that the manager, of course, had control over).
Regardless, there is now a full-blown media circus around everyone's favorite Cinderella story. Meanwhile, there is still football to be played, and a genuine chance that they could still secure a spot in the Champions League – especially if those around them drop points.
They have to get the job done themselves, of course, starting with a trip to struggling West Ham at 9:15 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Getty ImagesTrent Alexander-Arnold, and the booing debate
One thing is clear: it is not a good thing to boo your own player. It reflects poorly on Liverpool fans that they did so, and only fuels the noise around an already polarizing decision made by Trent Alexander-Arnold to leave the club.
Their remarkable season has been overshadowed by it. Now, manager Arne Slot is faced with a dilemma: should Alexander-Arnold play in a Liverpool shirt again? All of the talk seems to suggest that they have already brought in his replacement in Bayer Leverkusen right back Jeremie Frimpong (which seems a fine piece of business – even if he is a totally different type of player.)
But there is still an issue with the here and now. Liverpool have two games remaining, one of which is at Anfield. Incumbent back-up Conor Bradley isn't fit enough to play 90 minutes. Someone will have to enter the pitch. Is Alexander-Arnold the guy? That will partially be answered when Liverpool travel to Brighton Monday afternoon at 3 p.m.
AFPAmerican ties
+ Tyler Adams will likely feature for Bournemouth in their next fixture, a trip to Man City Tuesday night. A couple of good results can still see them secure a European spot – although three points at the Etihad will be immensely difficult to attain.
+ Chris Richards will be in the XI when Crystal Palace face Man City in the FA Cup final on Saturday. A win would see the Eagles claim their first trophy in club history.
+ Antonee Robinson's Fulham take on Brentford in the clash of the overachieving mid-table clubs on Saturday.
