The most iconic FA Cup final moments are forever seared in time. From Jim Montgomerie’s double-save in 1973, to Kevin Moran’s sending off in 1985.
From Keith Houchen’s diving header in 1987, to Steven Gerrard’s last-gasp piledriver in 2006.
These are cultural landmarks that define what the world’s oldest footballing competition means to every one of us, as significant as wars and jubilees.
The following five unforgettable highlights and lowlights deserve to be put in that same canon.
Willie Young’s Professional Foul
There is a direct lineage from Moran’s red card in 1985, for scything down Peter Reid when the last man, to Arsenal’s Young doing likewise five years earlier and only receiving a booking.
At 17, West Ham’s Paul Allen was the youngest player to ever appear in a FA Cup final and via some clever footwork found himself clean through against the Gunners, a life-defining act of glory in his grasp.
Young though – brutal in appearance and brutal in demeanour – had other ideas, callously tripping the teenager, the ball far beyond his reach.
So appalled was a watching nation that the incident brought about a change in the rules, with the FA ushering in a directive that a ‘professional foul’ could be punished by instant dismissal.
Di Matteo’s Howitzer
The duel between Chelsea and Middlesbrough promised to be a continental affair, in an era when this was still a novelty, featuring Juninho and Ravanelli in red, and Zola and Vialli in blue. There’s some goals in that quartet.
It was another Italian who stole the show however, with Roberto Di Matteo firing in a thunderbolt from range just 43 seconds in.
In hindsight, the earliness of the strike detracts from just how good the goal was, the midfielder picking up possession well into his own half before scurrying forward uncontested.
From a full thirty yards out he unleashed a howitzer that flew directly above the keeper’s flailing reach.
Watson Wins It
Much more should be made of the fact that in 2013 Wigan Athletic won the FA Cup and did so as huge underdogs against Manchester City, scoring the winning goal in the 91st minute.
That Ben Watson’s last-minute header has merely become an endearing curio in the competition’s back-catalogue instead of being burnished in legend is reflective of how the FA Cup has sadly lost some of its allure and sense of romance in recent times.
Had this occurred in the Eighties films would be made about it.
It’s Only Parlour
For much of 2022/23, Arsenal were favourites in the Premier League winner odds, only to see their challenge slip away.
There was no suggestion of ‘bottling’ however back in 2002, and with the title already sewn up, the Gunners headed to the Millenium Stadium with a double in their sights. In their way was a brilliant Chelsea collective.
Naturally enough, with the final featuring two elite sides, there was little to separate them for the most part, but then in the 70th minute Ray Parlour picked up the ball and was surprised to see opposition defenders stand off him.
“It’s alright. It’s only Parlour,” Tom Lovejoy said while doing fan commentary, while Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink has subsequently admitted he relaxed when seeing who was lining up to shoot from distance.
The maligned Arsenal midfielder proceeded to curl an absolute beauty into the top corner.
Angry Mackems
According to our Premier League predictions, Newcastle are going to be in the running to win silverware next season but back in 1999 trips to Wembley were very much a novelty.
A final against a treble-chasing Manchester United was their best chance to win a trophy for generations.
Perhaps this explains what prompted Sunderland midfielder – but life-long Magpies supporter – Lee Clark to attend the game wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with ‘SMB’
The S stands for Sad. The M stands for Mackem. The B queries their parentage.
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
In a matter of hours, this year’s PFA Team of the Year will be announced and though each inclusion will be richly deserved, it will also inevitably be largely populated by world class players, who are surrounded each and every week by other world class players.
Whereas, the alternative line-up below may contain the odd superstar or two, but mainly it’s individuals whose consistent brilliance in 2022/23 raised their team to a whole other level, over and above what was expected of them in the Premier League betting.
They may not have received official recognition for doing this, but here they are treasured.
Goalkeeper – David Raya (Brentford)
If the Bees relied heavily on Ivan Toney’s 20 goals this term, then the striker is similarly indebted to his keeper who found him, from distance, on 174 occasions.
All season long, the Spanish stopper’s distribution has been a big factor in Brentford’s rise, allowing them to go long, well and often.
No other keeper in the top-flight made more saves than Raya and no other keeper boasted a better save percentage.
Right-back – Kenny Tete (Fulham)
According to more than one stat site, Tete was the second best performing right-back in the Premier League and with Kieran Trippier a shoo-in for the PFA nomination, it’s only fair to acclaim the Dutch defender here.
2.7 tackles per 90 highlights his defensive attributes but there is also a commendable five assists to take into account from a player who bossed right flanks from August to May.
In yet another example of Brighton’s superb recruitment stratagem, Estupinan was snapped up for just £18m last summer after the Seagulls sold Marc Cucurella for considerably more.
One year on, the big-money buy has flopped at Chelsea while his cheap replacement has shone on the south coast, overlapping with boundless energy but combative when out of possession.
Centre-back – Fabian Schar (Newcastle)
No team conceded fewer goals than Eddie Howe’s Newcastle this season and so much of their stinginess derived from a rock-solid partnership made up of Schar and Sven Botman, with Nick Pope mopping up their rare errors.
The Swiss defender seemed destined to leave English football criminally under-valued.
Having incrementally made his way to the top, Pinnock’s journey mirrors Brentford’s and there is something fundamentally important in that. That matters.
Seven years ago he was playing non-league with Dulwich Hamlet. Four years ago he was clean-sweeping the end-of-season player awards at Barnsley.
And now the 30-year-old is an instrumental presence as his side secures a top ten Premier League finish.
Always calm and commanding at the back and pretty much unbeatable in the air, Pinnock has greatly impressed from the get-go.
Midfield – Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle)
The Brazilian’s 84% pass completion rate is worthy of note even if – though very good – it’s not a figure out of the ordinary.
But then you acknowledge the adventure in his passing, the risky through-balls, the speculative shifts to out wide.
Guimaraes can play a safe, square pass with the best of them but so much of what he does has a purpose, designed to make something happen.
And subsequently, almost all that has been good about Newcastle this season has come from the right boot of a special talent.
Midfield – James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
There are not many Saints players who can hold their head up high this summer. Ward-Prowse is the exception to that rule.
Liberated in a more offensive role halfway through the campaign, the England star retained his usual endeavour and made a real impact for his struggling side, all sadly to no avail.
An 85% pass completion rate is perhaps to be expected from a player who truly values accuracy and guile. Eight goals from 18 shots on target though is something else entirely.
Midfield – Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
If the rumours are true, and the Portuguese schemer has been overlooked for this year’s PFA Team of the Year, it will be a regrettable omission.
The 28-year-old has accrued a league-high for both key passes and shot-creating actions and all while contributing to United’s cause with 16 direct goal involvements.
If Casemiro has rightfully been lauded for his box-to-boxing, and Rashford lavished with praise for his goals, Bruno deserves due recognition for having his second-best season at Old Trafford.
He’s been integral and immense.
Attack – Solly March (Brighton)
March has statistically been the best player for a team that has got everyone talking this year, admired for their excellence and innovation.
Reimagined as a right-winger under Roberto De Zerbi, a player who has long been under-appreciated beyond the Amex has transformed into a goal-scoring game-changer, full of energy and ingenuity.
What’s the betting an England call-up lies in wait when he returns from injury?
Attack – Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
In a season full of revelations at the Emirates no player has stood out more than their young Brazilian, a winger who used to delight for the most part, but would typically follow up a Man of the Match performance with a couple of anonymous outings.
In 2022/23, greater consistency saw Martinelli torment full-backs on a weekly basis while 15 goals and five assists were invaluable to the Gunners’ title charge.
Attack – Ivan Toney (Brentford)
Controversy and a lengthy ban have of course seriously soured Toney’s year but on the pitch it was a vintage one for a striker who throughout his career has found the back of the net with unerring regularity.
0.61 goals-per-90 is a remarkable return when playing for a club that tends to cede possession. This comes through in his shot-count that is significantly lower than Haaland or Kane’s.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
All of the brilliant work done at Brighton was expected to unravel when its chief architect Graham Potter left for Chelsea.
Instead, they appointed a coach in Roberto De Zerbi who may well prove to be generational and the Seagulls have gone up a level further.
Everyone’s second favourite team took 20 points off the traditional ‘big six’ this term, at times playing them off the park, and their front-foot, precarious, possession-based football has been a joy to behold.
It will be interesting to see where they land in the Premier League betting ahead of 2023/24 because right now – appropriately for their nickname – the sky’s the limit.
Jack Grealish
By his own admission, Grealish initially struggled to adapt to Pep Guardiola’s intricate blueprint and subsequently played it far too safe, relying on Joao Cancelo to overlap and create down the left.
It didn’t take long for naysayers to label him a £100m flop.
Now feeling much more at home at the Etihad, the England winger has been transformed this season, living his best life and becoming an integral part of a title-winning side with a treble in their sights.
Nobody in the top-flight retains possession better and Guardiola adores him for that.
Erik ten Hag
It was only a matter of time before a Manchester United manager got things right in the post-Ferguson era. That man is Ten Hag.
Resolving long-standing defensive and midfield issues was his first order of business and Leandro Martinez and Casemiro have been seismic signings, improving the Reds at a stroke.
The Dutchman also deserves credit for the swiftness in which he has successfully implemented his preferred style of play, shrewdly bringing in players already familiar with it.
As important as any of the above, he has ruthlessly dispensed with the whingers and whisperers in the squad, harmonising it as a consequence.
A third-place finish and potentially two domestic cups suggests the good times are returning for a club long deprived of consistent excellence.
Promoted Sides
For only the fourth time in the 21st century, all three promoted clubs stayed up this term but celebrating their survival does a disservice to the manner in which Fulham tore into the top-flight from the off, eventually finishing mid-table, a full eight points clear of their prestigious neighbours Chelsea.
Bournemouth too impressed, recovering from a nine-goal pasting at Anfield and defiantly disproving the football betting that had them tipped to drop all campaign long.
Lastly, there was Nottingham Forest, a team incapable of winning away, who relied on the tremendous support of the City Ground faithful to see them safe.
In a world that increasingly sees fans devalued or dismissed that’s something to celebrate as much as their survival.
Losers
Frank Lampard
It is of course hugely tempting to plump for Chelsea and/or Everton, two clubs who collapsed in on themselves in 2022/23, failing to show even a glimpse of who they are, and what they’re capable of.
The Toffees however live to fight another day while Chelsea could conceivably be back in the top four, challenging for silverware next season.
Instead then, let’s go for the guy who played a big part in each of their nadirs, a manager who very likely won’t get to fight another day in the Premier League anytime soon, for his reputation has been completely scorched.
Lampard resided over 29 league games this season. He won four of them.
Neal Maupay
With so many under-performing sides – Tottenham, anyone? – and big-money flops to choose from this is admittedly a left-field shout, but bear with because the French forward is a thoroughly deserving nominee.
Bought last summer to essentially provide cover for an injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the 26-year-old was given significantly more minutes than he perhaps anticipated, with the England star missing for large chunks of the campaign.
It fell upon Maupay therefore to score the odd goal or two for the Toffees, a side not exactly over-furnished with attacking talent.
In over 21 hours of competitive football he ended up notching just the one. He got booked four times.
Chelsea Forwards
Okay, we had to get Chelsea in here somewhere. It was unavoidable.
This, after all, is a club that has spent the GDP of a mid-sized nation in the past year, adding to an already star-studded squad, yet somehow finished below Crystal Palace and Fulham.
The reasons for their annus horribilis are ten-fold but undoubtedly a roster of misfiring forwards cost them dear.
Between them, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Joao Felix, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech scored the same number combined as Ivan Toney.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Let’s leave the relegated three out of this. They have suffered enough.
Looking elsewhere, we settle on Wolves, who until Christmas had scored the fewest number of goals in the top seven tiers of English football and all told racked up twice as many red cards as any other Premier League club.
To accrue so many exciting Portuguese talents yet entertain so little amounts to a great big lose.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
Given Newcastle’s vast resources, and the fact that Champions League football is coming to St James’ Park next season, it may be tempting to think that big spending will commence in the North-East when the transfer window opens.
After all, this is a club that now has a platform to break into the elite and remain there, and with the funds to do precisely that surely a statement signing or two can be expected in the summer?
Who knows, maybe a superstar whose securement would make the back pages of every publication on the news-stand.
The reality of their situation, however, is slightly different, with FFP restricting their spending and keeping them in check.
As for the lucrative rewards of playing in the Champions League, they won’t emerge for a season or two yet, certainly not straight away.
So Eddie Howe, after over-achieving on the Magpies’ Premier League odds and guiding his team to a top four finish, went into a series of meetings with the club’s hierarchy this week and was informed of Newcastle’s budget, a figure that is reportedly just north of £100m.
That isn’t pocket change of course and will allow the club to strengthen a squad that is strong at its core but weak around the edges.
Still though, considering their expansive ambitions – and impatience to become a major player on the continental stage – it will require a good deal of shrewdness to be deployed in the market, a bargain or two picked up if possible.
Thankfully, for Newcastle, Howe was already pertinently aware of these limitations, which is why he attempted to manage expectations from the fans prior to having his budget confirmed.
“We aren’t going to have a bottomless pit,” he said when asked about the forthcoming window.
And by being made aware of this in advance, Howe will have already identified his targets accordingly, with an affordable midfielder topping his priorities.
It surprised many Newcastle fans that a shortfall in this area in terms of numbers wasn’t addressed back in January, with greater creativity needed if only to take the strain off Bruno Guimaraes.
Furthermore, a midfield creative would allow their Brazilian to drop deeper as a number six, a role many believe he will excel at.
From a wealth of options, it seems like two names are underlined and bolded on Newcastle’s shopping list, those players being Leicester City’s James Maddison – who has long been linked with the club – and RB Leipzig’s brilliant Hungarian, Dominik Szoboszlai.
Does Leicester’s recent relegation make Maddison more attainable?
That’s very likely, and yet it’s Szoboszlai who most appeals by all accounts, the 22-year-old’s £61m release clause and realistic wage demands making him a favourite to sign in the coming weeks.
Scouts have been watching him on a game-by-game basis while the player recently put up a social media post celebrating Newcastle’s guarantee of Champions League football.
Where Leicester’s relegation does become a factor concerns another English midfielder entirely, with Harvey Barnes now rumoured to be available.
The future of Allan Saint-Maximin remains up in the air and Howe is a long-time admirer of the industrious left winger who would be an impactful replacement for a fee that wouldn’t break the bank.
Elsewhere, Newcastle’s stingy defence will need adding to and this explains their interest in Ferdi Kalioglu. Not only is the 23-year-old Fenerbahce right-back ready to make the step up, his £20m price-tag amounts to a steal.
Should the Magpies bring in genuine quality to improve their midfield options, and bolster their back-line too, we can expect their Premier League winner odds to shorten as a consequence.
This is a club going places and they have every intention of investing heavily to ensure that happens.
For now though, ready-made superstars are off-limits, and they have to shop on the high street just like everyone else, being clever about it.
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
Having made their way back to the top-flight after a 30 year absence, no doubt the champagne corks will be popping in Luton for most of this summer.
Just nine years ago, the Hatters languished in the fifth tier of English football, a club that was still recovering from an extended period in administration. A club that very nearly went to the wall.
So before we assess how well, or otherwise, Rob Edwards’ side will apply themselves among the elite there is an obvious and necessary point to make.
For a club that is now exceedingly well run, and for a fan-base who have remained loyal through some very dark and troubling times, Luton’s promotion to the Premier League, via a tense penalty shoot-out at Wembley, should be wholly celebrated.
It is a feel-good story in a sport that has a scant supply of them.
Football, however, doesn’t tend to stand still for too long to allow for sentimentality.
Already, behind the scenes at Kenilworth Road, the wheels will be in motion regarding Luton’s summer transfer strategy that will likely involve mostly loans and bargain buys, despite their windfall.
Existing players meanwhile will be enquiring about improved contracts now they are Premier League stars, while clubs who are higher in the pecking order will surely be taking a close look at 20-goal man Carlton Morris and Luton’s outstanding centre-back Tom Lockyer.
Moreover, there will be grave deliberations about how a defence made up of players with Aldershot and Nuneaton on their C.V. will cope next season when facing Mo Salah, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
If that sounds overly pessimistic though, thankfully recent history offers a genuine cause for hope.
Of course, nobody is expecting Luton to feature heavily in the Premier League winner odds for 2023/24, and the age-old cliché will hold true that 17th will ultimately be an amazing final standing.
Yet in latter years, clubs that have come up via the Play-Offs have done slightly better than that, with four of the last six staying up and even staking a claim in mid-table.
Of the two that immediately returned to the Championship, both times that was Fulham, firstly by essentially purchasing an entirely new squad, then later staying far too faithful to their open, attacking mandate.
The others, as evidenced by Nottingham Forest this term, endured sustained periods of struggle, but eventually prevailed, leaning on togetherness and fortitude.
And should the Hatters avoid the mistakes Fulham made twice-over, they have every chance in extending this trend.
They have a defence that was breached only 39 times this season, at a rate of a goal every 106 minutes, and even if admittedly they now face much tougher fare, it highlights how well organised Edwards’ back-line is, a priceless commodity for any promoted side.
They have goals too, in the aforementioned Morris and moreover, they have a clear and defined blueprint that plays to the strengths of their leading men.
Add in a tight ground and vociferous fans and suddenly it feels somewhat unjust that a team who only days ago came up, are already being widely tipped to drop. Indeed, there could be some real value in their Premier League odds for next season.
Luton, the great survivors can survive. It’s in their DNA and that should not be under-estimated.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
Our football writer @SteTudor123 gives his end of season ratings for every Premier League club - do you agree with his scores?
AFC Bournemouth
It feels like a lifetime ago now when the Cherries went to Anfield and were ruthlessly dismantled nine times over and understandably it took a good while for the newly-promoted side to recover from that humiliation.
Even a ‘new manager bounce’ enjoyed under Gary O’Neill didn’t change a commonly held perception of the relegation battle which had Bournemouth nailed-on to drop along with two others undetermined.
That the South Coast side comfortably survived is testament to O’Neill’s superb work as well as numerous fine performances from Dominic Solanke and Philip Billing.
Rating: 6/10
Arsenal
Let rivals fans and cynics focus on the Gunners’ nine points from their concluding nine fixtures as their favourite status in the Premier League title odds dissipated.
When viewing their campaign as a whole this is a team that topped the table for 248 days, largely playing some sensational stuff.
In 47% of their games, Mikel Arteta’s men racked up 3+ goals while at the back only Manchester City and Newcastle were stingier.
Over the course of one summer, Arteta elevated his side to a higher plateau and with that in mind the future bodes extremely well.
Rating: 9/10
Aston Villa
There were two distinctly different Aston Villas this term, the first a directionless mess that seemed destined for the Championship under Steven Gerrard.
Then came Unai Emery who has whipped them into shape superbly.
The Villans only failed to score in two of Emery’s 27 games in charge while it would be unfair to highlight individuals who have flourished under his spell because the truth is, all of them have.
To secure European football from such a low standing has been a remarkable achievement.
Rating: 7/10
Brentford
Comfortably nestled in the top half of the table for almost all of 2022/23, the Bees have taken another quantum leap forward in their quest to become an established force in the Premier League.
They ended on a high note in beating Spurs, then Manchester City. They began on the front foot, dispensing with Manchester United way back in autumn.
In between, they have taken on all-comers and bowed to no-one, a brilliant back two of Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock ceding the headlines to the goals of Ivan Toney.
Rating: 8/10
Brighton & Hove Albion
The Seagulls have been an absolute revelation this season, delighting neutrals with their erudite pressing and attractive, constructive build-up play.
They’ve been a paradigm for what can be achieved when a club with limited resources does everything right.
All of their good work in recent years could easily have unravelled when Graham Potter jumped ship to Chelsea but instead, under Roberto De Zerbi they have gone up another level again.
Europa League football awaits and deservedly so.
Rating: 9/10
Chelsea
The era of Todd Boehly has ushered in chaos and comedy at Stamford Bridge, a soap opera now associated with haphazard recruitment, ludicrously long contracts, and managerial sackings and appointments seemingly made on a whim.
In that context, the woeful performances from players who are ten times better on paper can be excused, but only up to the point.
The last time Chelsea posted a worst league finish their forward options were Neil Shipperley and Robert Fleck.
Rating: 6/10
Crystal Palace
An upbeat ending to their campaign under Roy Hodgson shouldn’t mask a terrible period after the World Cup that can largely be put at Patrick Vieira’s door, but not wholly.
Across 15 games, the Eagles won just once and scored a meagre seven goals.
Quite clearly then, this is a side that operates best when its flair players are set free and let’s hope for Palace’s sake their next permanent boss does precisely this.
As for their five out of 10 rating, that’s fair for a team that has hardly pulled up trees but always seemed like a cut above the relegation candidates.
Rating: 5/10
Everton
Escaping the drop by the skin of their teeth does not detract from what has been a wholly dispiriting year for the Toffees, one that has seen them overly reliant on a centre-forward who is rarely fit and a passionate fan-base distracted by an ongoing war with the club’s board.
Everton went behind on 25 occasions in 2022/23 and dropped points in 24 of them. A seismic summer awaits.
Rating: 2/10
Fulham
A terrific run post-Qatar saw the Cottagers break into the top six and even if their season fell away in the final third, this has still been an extremely positive return to the top-flight. They finished above Chelsea, for starters.
In safe hands with Marco Silva, Fulham have shown they have learned valuable lessons from their recent past in how to adapt as a promoted side. They are a yo-yo club no more.
Rating: 7/10
Leeds United
Leeds undoubtedly possess some talented attacking players, a whole roster of them in fact. Yet not one of their four managers this season could synch them into a functioning unit.
At the back meanwhile, it was an eight-month long horror show. Just five clean sheets all term tells it own story, as too does the concession of a colossal 78 goals.
Rating: 1/10
Leicester City
An overhaul was needed last summer. Brendan Rodgers knew it. Leicester fans knew it.
Instead, the Foxes sold their dressing room leader Kasper Schmeichel and their best defender Wesley Fofana and didn’t properly replace either.
Perhaps too, complacency is to blame for one of the most surprising relegations in modern times.
Perhaps, the players looked at Maddison, Vardy and Barnes and assumed they had enough quality to do okay this season. They were wrong.
Rating: 1/10
Liverpool
Serious glitches in the matrix resulted in the Reds missing out on Champions League football and though legitimate reasons can be offered as to why – namely squad fatigue from chasing down City in recent years – this season still represents a significant regression for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
What looks like a successful refreshing of their forward-line and an unbeaten spell from early-April has kept crisis talk at bay.
Rating: 5/10
Manchester City
After losing to Spurs in February it felt like this was going to be a season of transition for the reigning champions but a structural tweak by Pep Guardiola transformed their fortunes and dramatically so.
As Miles Davis once said, sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself and the jazz the Blues played from early Spring on, was off the scale.
Blasting fours, fives and sixes became commonplace, with Liverpool and Real Madrid in that number, and then of course there was Erling Haaland, smashing records and long-standing norms.
Rating: 9/10
Manchester United
A third-place finish, a domestic trophy and – at the time of writing – a FA Cup final to look forward to.
By these metrics alone, Erik Ten Hag’s first season has been a success, but really it goes deeper than that.
Clever recruitment has resolved two long-term issues while just as pertinently, dissenting voices within the squad have been moved on. Moreover, this is now a team with a clear mandate that everyone is on board with.
As opening gambits go, Ten Hag has played a blinder.
Rating: 8/10
Newcastle United
Newcastle’s takeover unfairly informs their rise to prominence this term, with some perhaps believing their considerable improvement was always on the cards.
To put their top four securement into perspective however, four clubs out-spent the Magpies in 2022/23, their outlay pretty much matching Nottingham Forest’s.
Rather, Eddie Howe deserves huge credit for masterminding a brilliant campaign. Previously viewed as highly suspect from a defensive standpoint, his team have conceded 0.8 goals-per-90.
Rating: 9/10
Nottingham Forest
Survival was always the end-game for the Tricky Trees, so we can be snippy about the sheer volume of players they’ve bought or highlight a woeful away record that traversed the whole season, but ultimately none of that matters.
Forest are a Premier League side next season and they can build from here.
Rating: 7/10
Southampton
Just three wins from their opening 14 fixtures saw Ralph Hasenhuttl’s four-year stint on the South Coast come to an end but at that juncture there was still plenty of time to turn things around.
The big mistake the Saints made thereafter was appointing Nathan Jones as his replacement, an unsuitable choice who only exacerbated their dire situation.
Southampton’s two points are awarded for admirably keeping faith in youth, most notably the potentially exceptional Romeo Lavia.
Rating: 2/10
Tottenham Hotspur
The last time Spurs lost 14 or more league games in a season was back in 2009 and a similar reset is required now for a club that appears utterly lost.
Harry Kane was once again their compass, scoring a career-equalling best of 30 top-flight goals but this was the year when a succession of poor managerial appointments caught up with Tottenham.
The next choice needs to be right, or else.
Rating: 3/10
West Ham United
After two outstanding campaigns, it was a big surprise to see the Hammers stagnate in 2022/23, spending 74% of a largely miserable season in the bottom six and with David Moyes a regular fixture in the next Premier League manager to be sacked odds.
Reaching a European final is obviously a huge fillip but based on their league struggles this has been a year to forget.
Rating: 3/10
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Similarly, Wolves have regressed, and if rumours are to be believed about having scant money to invest this summer, forcing Julen Lopetegui to already reconsider his options, then it could get even worse very soon.
What has damned Wolves throughout is a lack of firepower with Diego Costa, Raul Jiminez, Goncalo Guedes, Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto scoring a combined six goals between them. That’s abysmal.
Rating: 3/10
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
A miserable end to the season continued for Juventus at the weekend with a defeat at home to Milan.
The reinstatement of their points deduction was a blow to Max Allegri’s side, who are left down in seventh after briefly returning to the Champions League places. They are still football betting favourites for their matchup with Udinese, however.
Allegri continued to bemoan the points deduction after Juve’s loss to Milan. His team, though, have not finished the season on the front foot, losing three straight across all competitions.
It is only four wins from their last 15 for the Old Lady. Udinese, too, have lost three in a row, as they settle for mid-table mediocrity. They haven’t beaten Juventus since 2020.
At the weekend, Allegri was open about his feelings on this season.
“It’s sad to say it, but our season ended in Seville. That is where we ran out of mental energy. We got the marking wrong on the cross and Giroud scored a great header, but it was still a goal we could’ve avoided.
“As I said, it has been an anomalous season, the team put together 69 points, so we should be proud and thank them for what they did. If what happened off the field had not happened, we’d still be qualified for the Champions League.”
He continued, appearing to manage expectations while talking up the core of this squad.
“We must calmly evaluate and realise there are good foundations, it is not all to be thrown away. The biggest mistake would be getting rid of those foundations when building the future of Juventus.
“My primary hope is that before August 20 this time we are told how many points we are penalised rather than going back and forth constantly…
“There are some teams who spent six years without being in the top four. On the field, we were in third place. We played the Europa League semi-final and the Coppa Italia semi-final.
“Football gives, football takes away, just like life. We will emerge fortified from this situation. But some teams qualified for the Champions League because we had 10 points taken away. Everyone can agree on that, can’t they?”
Those comments do not look like a Juventus team ready to compete in Udine. This is a team resigned to its fate, a team which switched off a couple of weeks ago and has clearly been suffering from mental fatigue.
Udinese have lost just three times at home this season – they will not have a better chance to end their winless streak against the Old Lady.
Serie A Outright Winner Prediction
Juventus finished 13 points behind Serie A champions Inter Milan in 2020/21 but the return of Massimiliano Allegri could rejuvenate the Old Lady as they bid to regain the Italian crown.
Red hot favourites in 888sport's Serie A betting odds, Juve will be tough to beat but it may prove prudent to look elsewhere in the race to lift the Scudetto title. The Old Lady will be popular in every prediction for today games in Italy's top flight.
ATALANTA have been threatening to top the Italian table in recent years and a first Serie A triumph could be on the cards if everything goes to plan for the Bergamo club.
Inter are defending champions but summer departures will hinder their chances of glory while the likes of AC Milan, Napoli and AS Roma may not have enough over a 38-game season.
Serie A Top Scorer Prediction
The only thing standing in the way of CRISTIANO RONALDO and the Serie A top scorer award is mother time. Now 36 years old, the Juventus star could be set for regression if age catches up with him.
With closest goal scoring rival Romelu Lukaku heading back to Chelsea, the path is clear for Ronaldo to finish best of the bunch once again in the Italian top flight goal charts.
Bet Serie A
The 90th edition of Serie A kicks off on August 22nd and runs through to May 22nd of next year with a break for Christmas in between.
Reigning champions Inter Milan will be on a high after preventing Juventus from winning a remarkable ten Scudetto in a row though the Nerazzurri head into the new campaign with a different coach after Antonio Conte departed in acrimonious fashion. It is the third time Conte has left a club having guided them to a title.
In his place comes Simone Inzaghi from Lazio who secured four top six finishes during his time in Rome, and the former striker’s first order of business is to retain the services of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez who scored 41 Serie A goals between them last term.
Betting giants Juventus meanwhile can be expected to bounce back re-energized and stronger after enduring a disappointing campaign in 2020/21.
Like Inter, there has been a change at the top with Massimiliano Allegri returning after a two-year hiatus and the 53-year-old coach has his own high bar to aspire to. Under Allegri the ‘Old Lady’ won five successive league titles and twice reached Champions League finals.
The uncertain future of Cristiano Ronaldo is Juventus’ biggest complication and even at his ripened age, CR7 would be a huge loss, averaging a goal every 96 minutes in the league last season.
Still, with Euro 2020 stars Chiesa, Bernardeschi and Morata on their roster, not to mention Paulo Dybala, Juventus has plenty of goals in their arsenal. A few players could challenge the Serie A top scorers in 2021/22...
It is Allegri’s reinstatement however that best explains why the Turin giants start the campaign as firm favourites despite their recent struggles. He tends to get the best out of a club that is formidable when in its pomp.
Speaking of goals, last season saw a bumper amount of them across the league with an average of 3.06 per match topping any other year this century and if that is a cause for eager anticipation so too is the expected continuation of Atalanta’s rise to prominence.
Three consecutive third-place finishes for the ‘Goddess’ suggests she can no longer be considered a plucky over-achiever. She is here to stay, competing at the very top under the shrewd guidance of Gian Piero Gasperini.
Elsewhere, intrigue surrounds Serie A newcomers Empoli, Salernitana, and Venezia who each have the potential to surprise while Napoli, Roma and Lazio will be looking to build on solid campaigns.
All these storylines will develop across 38 rounds of fixtures in 2021/22 and every page and plot-twist will be covered in detail by 888sport, your home for Italian football.
How To Watch Serie A
The 2021/22 Serie A season begins on August 22nd and though the fixtures have not yet officially been released, Saturday evening and Sunday games are often reserved for the bigger matches.
Games can be viewed in the UK via Premier Sports while every Serie A goal and highlights package is made available on the league’s YouTube channel. Check out our prediction for today games in Italy here at 888sport!
Serie A Outright
It would be wrong to wholly see it this way but a good rule of thumb when assessing Juventus’ chances this season of making it ten titles in 11 years is not to compare them to the Juve of last term but instead recall their dominance under Allegri.
Andrea Pirlo’s twelve months at the helm can hardly be viewed as disastrous, with I Bianconeri winning two domestic trophies but at no stage did they seriously mount a challenge to Inter in Serie A and ultimately Champions League qualification was settled for.
Under Allegri, by comparison, the ‘Old Lady’ was all-conquering and a much more complete proposition, averaging over 90 points across the coach’s five seasons.
That seven of the current side’s most important players were around during Allegri’s final successful season is pertinent and if he carries on where he left off, expect his charges to follow suit.
Yet, for all that Juventus are rightfully priced as favourites we can also expect an open championship to excite in the months ahead. The betnumbers prediction for today on Italian football can be found right here!
With their prolific strike-force Inter cannot be easily dismissed while a decent transfer window by Atalanta, Napoli, or even Milan, might see them in the mix throughout.
Top Serie A Betting Teams
In its present round robin format Serie A has existed since 1930 and it’s perhaps hardly shocking to learn that Juventus boast the most Scudettos, winning 36 in total.
Add in the 21 occasions the Turin club have finished runner-up and they have been in the reckoning for over half a century of Italian football.
Most relevant to previewing the forthcoming season, they recently had a stranglehold on Serie A, winning nine titles in a row.
The two Milan football betting behemoths meanwhile, Internazionale and AC Milan have also lifted the Coppa Campioni d'Italia numerous times, with 19 and 18 respectively. Each have enjoyed sustained periods of supremacy.
Beyond these three, we find only infrequent moments of glory for others unless we go right back to the Grande Torino days of the Forties. Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina and Napoli have a scant nine titles between them.
Free Serie A Predictions
Each weekend our passionate and knowledgeable football experts will offer up the best Serie A tips, focusing on every team from Atalanta to Venezia.
Whether it is determining the outright Scudetto winner or betting on a match-by-match basis our insights are designed to make your betting experience profitable and enjoyable.
Why pay for tipster services when ours is free and – dare we say it - better?
How To Bet On Serie A
Betting on Serie A football has never been easier. With our prediction for today games on Italy's top flight, our Italian football tipster has you covered each weekend of the domestic campaign.
Join up with 888sport, remembering to take full advantage of our fantastic welcoming offers, then head to the football section. From there, click on ‘competitions’ and scroll down to ‘Italy’.
Here you will find an array of betting options, ranging from outrights to match results, all at highly competitive odds. Choosing your bet of the day with 888 sport is the way to go!
Serie A Bet Numbers
888sport is the place to be for Italian football tips and they can be found right here on this very page. Want to be in the know about the latest injury news or clued up on a team’s form?
Then what are you waiting for? Bookmark and enjoy the benefits as an entertaining season full of goals and drama plays out before us.
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
*Odds subject to change. Max stakes applies. T&C apply.
It’s simple for Dortmund. Win and they’re champions.
Bayern’s dominance at the top of Bundesliga could be broken this weekend, and Dortmund have the benefit of facing a mid-table Mainz, who have lost four in a row.
BVB are football betting favourites. They have been dominant at home, winning 11 in a row. Mainz haven’t won in their last three road matches, and have lost four in a row to Dortmund.
With Mainz clearly switched off and with nothing to play for, we like Dortmund’s chances of securing a ninth Bundesliga title in style. Back the hosts -2.5 at Evens.
Koln vs Bayern Munich
TIGHT GAME EXPECTED HERE
1. FC Koln v FC Bayern Munchen
Total Goals Over/Under - Under (2.5)
11/4
BET NOW!
*Odds subject to change. Max stakes applies. T&C apply.
Defeat to Leipzig last time out took the title race out of Bayern’s hands. Thomas Tuchel’s team must win and hope Dortmund drop points.
With four defeats in their last seven away matches across all competitions, a victory at Koln is far from a foregone conclusion.
Yes, the hosts are massive Bundesliga betting underdogs, but they have only lost once in their last eight fixtures. They also battled for a draw at the Allianz Arena earlier this term and recently got a result against Bayer Leverkusen.
We can see Koln at least making this difficult. They have seen under 2.5 land more frequently than any other Bundesliga club. It’s a good bet at a lengthy price of 11/4.
Union Berlin vs Werder Bremen
GOALS GALORE IN THIS CONTEST?
1. FC Union Berlin v Werder Bremen
Both Teams to Score - Yes
10/11
BET NOW!
*Odds subject to change. Max stakes applies. T&C apply.
The only unbeaten team at home this season, Union Berlin are heavy odds-on sports betting favourites for the visit of Werder Bremen.
Union know a win will see them qualify for the Champions League, but if they drop points, they will be very vulnerable with Freiburg facing out-of-form Eintracht Frankfurt.
Werder Bremen have claimed one of the last 12 available points. The visitors have one win from their last 11 league matches, yet have secured their Bundesliga status for next season and have nothing to play for here.
Bremen have scored plenty of goals, and have often been on the wrong side of a result with both teams to score. BTTS is the pick here are 10/11.
Bundesliga Predictions 2022/23
It would be foolish to look past BAYERN MUNICH in the Bundesliga title race this season. Despite a change in management, Bayern are the dominant force in German football and another Bundesliga success looks likely.
In fact, you'd go as far as to state that anything other than a Bayern title triumph would go down as the shock of the campaign. While the likes of RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg are decent outfits, the Bavarians are a class above.
Bundesliga Top Scorer Prediction
The Bundesliga top scorer award was almost ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI's to lose in years gone by but the Poland international joined Barcelona earlier this summer.
With goal-scoring rival Erling Haaland also leaving Germany's top flight for pastures new, there is an opportunity for someone else to step up and take the coveted Bundesliga top scorer award.
The Bundesliga goal scorer odds are likely to be tougher to predict this season but an exciting 2022/23 campaign awaits. Bet on German football today with 888sport and best of luck with your predictions!
Betting Tips 1x2
The 59th edition of the Bundesliga promises to be as captivating as ever and kicks off on August 13th, running right through to mid-May 2022. 1x2 betting tips this week can be found here throughout the season...
Bayern Munich start as strong football betting favourites and how can they not when they last finished outside of the top two all the way back in 2007.
In Robert Lewandowski, the Bavarian giants possess a striker who breaks goal-scoring records for fun and last season, he became the first player to score 40+ goals in the German top-flight since Gerd Muller in 1972.
At the back, a defence that played a big part in Bayern losing just four games in 2020/21 has been further strengthened by the arrival of Dayot Upamecano from their closest rivals RB Leipzig but of most interest is the change in the technical area, with Julian Nagelsmann also making the switch from last term’s runners-up.
Might the highly-rated young coach need time to implement his ideas at the Allianz Arena? Given Bayern’s formidable squad that may represent the best hope for the chasing pack.
Yet still, the nine-time consecutive champions face more robust competition this time out than last.
Borussia Dortmund will be looking to improve on last season’s problematic campaign that needed a late run of victories to secure third.
New coach Marco Rose inherits an immensely talented group and he will surely demand the attacking, dynamic football he is known for. Key to this aim will be retaining the services of Erling Haaland, the only forward who can come close to matching Lewandowski.
Leipzig meanwhile aspire to finally dethrone Bayern and already incoming coach Jesse Marsch has made some intriguing signings.
If the over-riding narrative of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season is that the league’s three leading clubs all have new men at the helm the league also has an unfamiliar look elsewhere.
Greuther Furth and Vfl Bochum are promoted, the latter as champions, and they replace Bundesliga stalwarts Schalke and Werder Bremen who together have been fixtures of the top-flight since 1990. It will be strange without them.
All told, 18 teams compete across 34 rounds of fixtures with a normal winter break planned after a one-off shortened hiatus last year due to Covid.
It will be fun, fiercely cutthroat and hopefully unpredictable too, and along every step of the journey stay with 888sport for the best weekly betting updates and advice from our German football experts.
How To Watch Bundesliga
The 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign begins with a Friday evening clash between Borussia Monchengladbach and champions Bayern on August 13th.
The rest of the opening weekend of fixtures are to be played across the Saturday and Sunday with the biggest and best games shown live on BT Sport.
Throughout the season, BT Sport customers can watch matches via the BT Sport app on a range of devices or via their official website.
Bundesliga Outright Predictions
When trying to nail down an outright winner for the forthcoming season it is difficult to look past the mighty Bayern, especially as they have strengthened over the summer at the expense of their direct rivals.
The luring of Nagelsmann to Bavaria is a significant coup and should the much-vaunted coach quickly settle on a preferred starting eleven and formation we can expect a smooth transition from Hansi Flick’s brief but very successful period in charge.
This is likely as Nagelsmann is not known for his heavy rotation or any change for the mere sake of it.
A swift readjustment is important because first up is an away trip to Monchengladbach, who have realistic ambitions to replicate their fourth-place finish two years ago and then in early September they travel to Leipzig who are intent on depriving Die Roten of a tenth straight title.
Dortmund will also feature prominently at or near the top while Bayer Leverkusen are dark horses to secure Champions League qualification.
Top Bundesliga Betting Teams
Few leagues have historically been so dominated by a single entity as the Bundesliga. If you follow 1x2 betting predictions for this week, you'll know Bayern are clear of their rivals.
In just shy of 60 years of existence in its current format the German top division has been claimed 30 times by Bayern and what is striking is that the monopoly is only escalating.
Prior to an astonishing nine-year winning streak they are looking to build on this term, Bayern managed to string together three consecutive titles across three different eras (the 1970s, 80s, and turn of this century).
Yet each time the Bavarians were reined in by rivals such as Hamburger SV, Kaiserslautern, and Dortmund. Can any side reach the consistently towering levels needed to topple them again? That remains to be seen.
Free 1x2 Predictions For Today
Whether it’s determining the outright winners and losers of 2021/22 in the Bundesliga or betting on a match-by-match basis, why shell out for paid tipster services when 888sport – your home of betting – offers you the most invaluable and informed tips around, all courtesy of our German football experts.
Here at 888sport we are passionate about European football and will regularly detail for you the best betting odds available, from Wolfsburg wins to Leverkusen losses.
How To Bet On Bundesliga
Betting on the Bundesliga with 888sport couldn’t be easier.
Simply join up, remembering to take full advantage of some fantastic welcoming offers, then head to the football section of our site. From there, click on ‘competitions’ and scroll down to ‘Germany’.
Here, an array of ever-evolving bets are available, covering every fixture and ranging from match results to predicting how few/many goals will be scored.
There is also the ‘outright’ market to explore, that presently has Bayern cast as firm favourites to make it ten titles in a row with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig priced generously to better them across the 34 rounds.
Identifying the likely candidates to finish top four meanwhile offers up a wide-open field this year. Wolfsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Hertha BSC are all reasonable shouts at great value.
German Football Betting Tips
Each weekend it is right here on this very page where you will find all the information you need to make the right – and profitable – choices when betting on the Bundesliga.
From league form to tactical data and the Bundesliga top scorers to the latest injury news and 1x2 betting tip predictions for this week, we’ve got you covered.
Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.
He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.
Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.
Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.
There will be so many comings and goings during this forthcoming transfer window it will be hard to keep up.
If these five superb talents are not part of the chaos then leading Premier League clubs will have spectacularly missed out.
Moises Caicedo
It seems that Brighton’s £80m valuation of their all-action midfield gem has priced Liverpool out of the reckoning and that’s a shame because the 21-year-old Ecuadorian international would have been a long overdue replacement for Gini Wijnaldum.
Regardless, that leaves Arsenal and Chelsea neck-and-neck to secure the services of one of the top-flight’s outstanding box-to-box practitioners, with the latter said to be narrow favourites.
Both clubs had serious bids rejected last January, with Caicedo subsequently signing a new, extended deal at the Amex, but following another half-a-season of excellence Roberto De Zerbi has admitted the player’s future probably lies elsewhere.
If Chelsea pair him up with Enzo Fernandes, their Premier League predictions will take on a much more positive slant at a stroke.
Dusan Vlahovic
The prolific Serb was highly coveted less than 18 months ago, heading to Juventus for £75m after scoring regularly for Fiorentina. His tall frame, physicality, and clinical finishing brought to mind Christian Vieri and, let’s face it, he wasn’t half-bad.
Just ten goals in 27 Serie A outings throughout his first full season in Turin however has led to claims that Vlahovic is struggling in Turin, and even if those figures aren’t terrible the player won’t have taken kindly to the manner in which he has been scapegoated, by both a vicious press and the club’s hierarchy.
Reportedly, the forward is open to the idea of moving on.
Arsenal front the queue and if they find a way to play to his strengths, the 23-year-old will be one of the best Premier League strikers in no time at all.
Marc Guehi
Another player heavily linked to Arsenal, though Tottenham too are in the running. If you’re the type of person who enjoys seeing people squirm, ask a Crystal Palace fan about their prized centre-back.
On the one hand, they will be desperate to reveal how immensely impressive the 22-year-old has been since joining for £18m from Chelsea back in 2021, a fee that now looks like a steal.
They will want to tell you that his three England caps will surely mushroom into the fifties by the time he’s done, so intuitive is his reading of danger. So solid he is in every department.
But they also want to downplay his significant impact, fearful as they are of losing him.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
No, we haven’t gone back in time to 2018, when Manchester United were chasing the Spanish-born Serbian international all summer long.
Or indeed, last summer, when the Reds briefly revived their interest in the Lazio midfielder before turning their attention to Casemiro.
Highly effective anywhere across the midfield three, Milinkovic-Savic’s contract runs out in 2024 and the Italians are now reportedly interested in listening to offers in the region of £50m.
There are several top-flight clubs who would be keen at that price, not least United of course, while Newcastle will be – apologies for transfer parlance – monitoring the situation closely.
Enzo Le Fee
The 23-year-old midfielder has expressed a desire to leave Lorient this summer and after the terrific season he’s had there will be no shortage of potential suitors.
An 85% pass completion rate across 2022/23, complete with 1.5 key passes and 3.2 tackles won has earned him a place in several Ligue 1 Team of the Years compiled by French newspapers.
Speaking of the press, they will be keen for a Premier League move to materialize, the player’s name making for an easy headline.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
Across four seasons it was virtually impossible to separate Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Between 2018/19 and 2021/22, the Reds accrued 357 points in the league. City in that same period amassed 358 points.
It’s a near-identical return that demands further context, so as to better illustrate just how remarkably neck-and-neck their duopoly was throughout this spell.
After 300 games of Premier League football, which equates to 450 hours of Premier League football, all that divided them was a single, solitary point.
It is reasonable to expect therefore that both teams were venerated, these astounding creations who averaged 89.25 and 89.5 points per campaign respectively. After all, here were two sides, put together by fascinatingly eccentric geniuses, who were each pushing the boundaries for consistency and excellence.
We will rarely again see their like. We will likely never again see two emerge simultaneously.
How utterly bizarre it was then to see both sides portrayed very differently in the media, with one lauded to the rafters, and the other damned for their dominance.
Liverpool’s four-year epoch was ‘incredible’, ‘sensational’, ‘unbelievable’. They were a ‘machine at the peak of its power’. They ’crushed’ their rivals ‘en route to history’ and were absolutely and unapologetically celebrated for being ‘mentality monsters’.
Their 2020 title success even had a Chief Football Writer for a broadsheet newspaper proclaim them to be the ‘greatest champions ever’. Really.
City’s skyscraping brilliance however, by stark and depressing contrast, was accompanied largely by doom-mongering and negativity. Their title successes were ‘inevitable’ with each significant victory largely attributed to ‘sportswashing’.
Moreover, every league crown was met by much hand-wringing regarding the competitiveness of the English top-flight.
City’s dominance was considered unhealthy, unsporting. In the words of one recent headline, reflecting on this season’s title triumph, Guardiola’s Blues were ‘destroying’ the Premier League.
Whether you deem it unjust or otherwise how City’s era of supremacy has been portrayed that must be a debate for another time.
Because just as intriguingly, what this fatalistic coverage prompts is an altogether different angle that deserves to be explored.
Which is to query why Liverpool are glorified – and in such an exaggerated, hyperbolic manner - for the very same thing that City are castigated for?
A reminder. Across four years and 300 fixtures, these teams were separated by a mere point. A draw essentially among hundreds of combined wins.
The answer of course lies in the indisputable fact that Liverpool get a notably easy ride from the media and to demonstrate this, let’s briefly stick with the double-standards that have been at play towards the Reds and City’s era-defining greatness.
The journalist who described Liverpool as a ‘machine at the peak of its power’ went on to exalt the manner in which they decimated all-comers in 2020, ‘marching the Premier League around in a headlock, ruffling its hair, flicking its ears'.
It’s all rather playful, isn’t it. Bravo Reds for being so brutal.
But when City win a title at a canter suddenly there is grave concern. Is this even a sport anymore, he has previously asked.
The writer who proclaimed them to be the greatest champions ever, meanwhile, quantified his decision by focusing on the scale of their superiority. "There has, quite simply, never been a level of dominance like it," he gushed.
It was he who recently claimed City were destroying the Premier League for showing similar pre-eminence. Elsewhere, beyond the hypocrisy and jarring comparisons, we find a club routinely excused for any and every failing.
This season, Liverpool have encountered a season of struggle so severe that for an ever-so-brief spell they even featured in the Premier League relegation betting.
Did the knives come out from the media, complete with speculation surrounding the manager’s job security, as we’ve seen so many times before when Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United or Spurs succumb to crisis? No, far from it.
Instead, perfectly reasonable explanations were offered up, pragmatism that is never afforded rivals when in the depths of despair.
Liverpool, it was said, were exhausted from pushing City so hard in recent seasons. As for Klopp, if he was guilty of anything it was being ‘too loyal’ to players approaching their sell-by date.
Even on the very rare occasions when the German coach is criticised, it is served up as a back-handed compliment.
Which is par for the course really when it is acknowledged that Klopp is, by some distance, the most indulged Premier League coach in modern times.
His propensity to bully journalists and harangue fourth officials is routinely dismissed as passion, at worse he is said to be a sore loser.
Should he play a severely weakened side in one of the domestic cups, exiting to a side well adrift in the Championship betting, there is not a sniff of the condemnation that would be dished up to another foreign manager, accused of disrespecting our competitions.
Instead, he is shrewd for focusing on the league. All the better to take on that evil Manchester City.
So much of the positive bias that is enjoyed by Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp can be explained away by the sheer volume of Reds working within the media, while the rest of it is very probably grounded in the club possessing a huge and excitable fan-base, who lap up the praise in droves and respond to criticism extremely badly.
But still, it doesn’t feel fair or right that two clubs are reported on so very differently. That doesn’t feel fair or right at all.
Stephen Tudor is a freelance football writer and sports enthusiast who only knows slightly less about the beautiful game than you do.
A contributor to FourFourTwo and Forbes, he is a Manchester City fan who was taken to Maine Road as a child because his grandad predicted they would one day be good.
