Battle of the Bosses: Jose's jab, Pep's talk, Silva's slump
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Published 15/05/2017 at 13:01 GMT
Graham Ruthven breaks down the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season through the prism of the managerial talents inhabiting it.
Jose Mourinho, Manager of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United
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Getting Out-tacticked
Tony Pulls isn’t the easiest man to out-tactic. Like playing chess against an empty mind, or poker against a vacant face, the Welshman is difficult to read. Antonio Conte managed it, though, with Friday night’s 1-0 win at the Hawthorns finally tying the blue ribbons on the Premier League trophy for 2016/17. It was a title won by the 3-5-2 formation and ultimately Michy Batshuayi. That’ll be one for the pub quiz.
Of course, Conte has out-tacticked all of English football in his first season at Chelsea to such an extent that he will be calling back home to let them know. “Yes, I know,” he’ll laugh into the phone to some of his former Serie A colleagues. “I won the Premier League playing Victor Moses as a right-back. And Claudio Ranieri won it last year. No, honestly. I'm telling the truth!”
The Gaffer Tapes
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Arsene Wenger, Alexis Sanchez
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Saturday’s 4-1 win over Stoke City raised hopes that Arsenal could yet still edge into the top four, because what would a Premier League season be without the Gunners finishing in the top four? However, Liverpool’s win over West Ham the following day quelled those hopes again, leaving Wenger to come up with some excuses.
Congratulating Chelsea on their title win, the Frenchman highlighted how a lack of European football has helped them.
I congratulate Chelsea on what they’ve done, but you see as well when they play in Europe, it’ll be a different story. I think we struggled a lot after what happened against Bayern, a big blow, but it was still possible at the moment we played Bayern to come back at Chelsea.
Maybe that has been Wenger’s ploy all along, finishing outside the Champions League places in order to boost his side’s title chances next season. The Arsenal board will probably buy that one, knowing them.
Mind Games Corner
Having gone a season without a trophy for the first time as a manager, Pep Guardiola is preparing for the biggest clear-out outside DFS. The Manchester City boss has admitted that his mind is made up on who will be leaving the club, but isn’t telling anyone right now.
“It does not depend if they play the last three games. The decision is already made. We are going to communicate after the season,” he teased after the weekend’s win over Leicester City. So now the guessing and mind games begin. Yaya Toure already knows his fate. There was only a half-hearted birthday cake for him this year.
Feud of the Week
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Jose Mourinho manager of Manchester United look thoughtful prior to the UEFA Europa League semi final, first leg match between Celta Vigo and Manchester United
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Jose Mourinho has been banging the same drum for so long the neighbours are complaining. As he has repeated for weeks now, the Manchester United boss justified why he is prioritising the Europa League over efforts to finish in the top four. And being in North London, he couldn’t help himself but make a jab at Arsene Wenger.
“I don’t know other clubs, I don’t know the way they think, I don’t know what is important for them,” he said after the defeat to Spurs on Sunday. “We, Manchester United, for us it’s more important to win titles than to finish top four. So if we can win a third title, or as you like to say, a second title, if we can do that it would be magnificent for us.
“Because we don’t fight, we know it’s a big objective, we know that if we lose the final we don’t play Champions League, we know that. But we fight for titles and probably other clubs finishing in the top four, probably they would like to be in our position, to try to fight for a title.” You better win that Europa League final, Jose. Wouldn’t want to be a specialist in failure.
Horrible Bosses
Marco Silva failed to pull off the impossible. Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace meant Hull City suffered relegation from the Premier League, something that had been expected of them all season. Paul Merson probably thinks he was right all along.
Of course, relegation doesn’t quite define Silva’s time at Hull, even if Sunday was a nadir of his still burgeoning managerial career. He was undermined by an owner who sold every half decent player at the club. In essence, Silva was charged with trying to avoid storm damage while the roof tiles were kicked off as the rain got heavier. Horrible boss? Sure, for one week, but Silva will surely be back. Merson will have to step up his efforts.
The Chief
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Tottenham Hotspur's Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino (R) waves to the crowd as the team members stand on the field during the closing ceremony at White Hart Lane in London, on May 14, 2017
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For the first time since 1963, Tottenham Hotspur will finish second in a top-flight season, with Sunday’s 2-1 win over Manchester United confirming that they will finish behind Chelsea. And in the least Spursy development, Mauricio Pochettino’s side went the entire 2016/17 campaign unbeaten at home in their final season at White Hart Lane.
The Argentine must take credit for turning Spurs into an established member of the Premier League elite, with the North London club hoping to mount a genuine title challenge next season. There’s only one problem - they’ll be playing all their home games at Wembley.
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