You may want to play political, give the simple answers or shy away from being controversial, but let’s be honest, there hasn’t been a league in modern times that has in it so much drama, twists and turns than the English Premier League.
Of course, the whole world agrees it’s the best marketed league in the world in recent times, but has anything ever beaten the emotions, the drama this league has produced? Will there ever be a moment again in a league that trumps the final match day of 2012, when Sergio Aguero produced a moment of brilliance to get City its first league title in 44 years, under the very nose of Sir Alex Ferguson?
No, certainly not. That moment is moment meant to be captured in history, documented or even kept in the archives of museums. It should be talked about, like with Leicester winning the league a season after nearly being relegated.
The premier league never lacks that moment. It feels so much like a script; a movie if you will, that’s meant to drag on till the very end, and leave you with lips wide open, asking what just happened.
This season isn’t very different, or far from it.
Start of the season, everyone felt the season was City’s and Chelsea’s to contend. Of course, Chelsea were the crowned Champions of Europe, started the season well, won the Super Cup, went on giving convincing performances, had a steady defense that didn’t leak in goals. Then Man United came into the game with Cristiano Ronaldo, after a last minute move to Man City was hijacked.
By then the narrative changed. United were back with a secret weapon to contend the league with City and Chelsea. They now had the squad, with new signings that will ‘improve’ on the team after they had just finished the previous season 2nd on the table.
But if wishes were horses, no one would have a reason to wish, right?
Off all the punditry, the media talks about squad depth and all, no one gave a certain Merseyside team on red the chance of contending for the league. Of course, most predicted them to finish just in the top 4 considering their lack of investments compared to neighbors City, United and Chelsea.
As typical as it is with the English League, few months down the line, the narratives were changing. The clubs thought of to challenge City are becoming to drop off. It looked like it was only City in the race; in the race against themselves, with everyone far off. The Christmas season had come, the Afcon had come to take the media eye from Liverpool as its star men Salah, Mane and Keita were off the squad, and it was after dropping more points against Chelsea to leave more gaps at the table with City in full control in January.
Everyone had given the league to City. The world expected them to have it rounded up by March or at most April. There was no competition any more. It was a farmers league; the new Bundesliga, thankfully formed by Pep Guardiola to replace the once dramatic English Premier League.
Flash forward to May 15, the league that was expected to be done, will go on to the last day of the season, with nothing yet decided as only 4 points separates Man City with their rivals who have played a game less. Who again came to wrestle a league that was already done with? Liverpool. How did this happen?
The world now is left to imagine what will happen if Liverpool eventually play their game in hand and win, (that’s an if) and they are within 1 point off City?
What will happen on the final match day?
What could happen knowing City will face off against a team that very much isn’t a walk over? Imagine the scenes on final match day if Aston Villa manager, and Liverpool legend; Steven Gerrard, and former Liverpool players, and current Aston Villa players, Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings all decide to wear their Liverpool badges underneath their Villa kits and together with their team, produce a performance that leaves the whole world shocked?
What if high summer signing, Jack Grealish fails to turn up for City against his former side and boyhood club Villa on that day? What if the one goal that Liverpool scores against Wolves, wins Liverpool the English Premier League?
Capture the scenes, capture the emotions. Of course, that won’t be Liverpool’s first league title in years, but it could very much be Liverpool’s first ever league title that truly mattered, cause it will be won in the presence of a full Anfield.
It then leads us wondering, is another Aguerooo moment fast upon us? Or is it just a tease that leaves everyone disappointed, knowing they already knew the end even before the season started, and all the twists and turns were just red herrings to make us think we didn’t know what we knew?