By Tony Attwood
Well we knew who the top clubs in England were and we had a pretty good idea who the top clubs in Europe were last season, and the current table confirms it all. We are the top English club and of course near the top in Europe – our one slippage being a draw.
| P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Saint Germain | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 12 |
| Real Madrid | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| Arsenal | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| Como | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 9 |
| Barcelona | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| Aston Villa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| Manchester City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 |
| Liverpool | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| Manchester United | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
So that is the European whatnot set aside for a few more days – there is of course no Tottenham in that list as they didn’t qualify (I thought I would make that clear).
The Guardian called it a “nervy win” last night but it looked ok to me, so I’ll happily sit back and reflect, ready for the next win. But perhaps we should also be ready at the end of the season when whatever trophies Arsenal pick up, we are reminded that according to the media, theye only achieved by “nervy wins”. Still at least they can recognise the part that Viktor Gyökeres payed.
And it is interesting to note just who are playing in the other cup…. and maybe we can see how Brighton and Hove are getting on in Europe, if there is nothing much else to do. Certainly there is not much point looking for Arsenal reports as we all know what they will be. “Gyokeres the creator and executioner to see nervous Arsenal past Slavia Prague” is the Telegraph’s take.
But there is one tale out there that I would like, if I may, to bring to your attention. It reads “Cesc Fabregas’s Como win NINE-ONE in the biggest away victory in Champions League history – two weeks after thrashing Michael Carrick’s Man United – in just their first year at Europe’s top table.” And I for one think it is a shame that other outlets can’t recognise this bit of fun from an ex Arsenal man.
And as they point out subsequently, this was ” just two weeks after thrashing Michael Carrick’s Man United – in just their first year at Europe’s top table.” Yes, if you remember Cesc with any affection for what he did on the pitch, this really is something worth reading up on. Not least because they remind us of “Manchester United’s 4-1 battering by Como two weeks ago…”
But there is one other snippet to consider, and that is the headline in the Express which reads, “Man City row erupts as rival Premier League clubs ‘demand second investigation’.” Now this tells us that “some Premier League clubs are pushing for a second investigation into Manchester City’s alleged financial rule breaches.”
As you will know the Mancs were found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges and really you can’t get much more guilty than that. City have inevitably appealed – after all they were hardly going to give up at that point.
So why on earth would anyone now want to backtrack on that verdict? Well, it seems that some clubs want to look against at the Manc accounts to see if any other regulations were breached and also need further punishment. Now that sounds ok except that the paper argues “there is also hesitation from some chief executives within the Premier League” about moving forward at all!!!
The Independent is quoted as suggesting this is a terrible idea since it has been clearly proven that “One of the crucial elements of the independent commission’s judgment was the way City utilised “sham” sponsorship arrangements concealed as owner funding.”
Now we all know the commission saw the ManCs and their sponsors as “related parties” and that really is the key to it all, but the argument now seems to be that since the case has not moved forward to a conclusion so clubs are saying it should just be dropped. Although many argue that this could damage the reputation of the Premier League forever – a thought with which I would agree.
The key problem is that there are as yet no sanctions on the club, and that is due to the League failing to push forward. In my view the guilty should never be let off because the prosecutors can’t get their act together. But according to the paper, “Many believe it would be preferable for the Premier League to draw a line under the charges once and for all.”
To me that would destroy the League’s credibility once and for all.
