Why David Moyes holds the key to Premier League’s final-day drama; Does anyone want to coach Bayern Munich?

Welcome to the weekend and boy do we have something special in store for the next few days. The Premier League title is still up for grabs, while the Bundesliga and WSL are also winding down. My name is James Benge, let’s take a look at the upcoming weekend.

Football correction

All times US/East

Friday, May 17th
Serie A: Fiorentina x Napoli, 2:45 pm Paramount+

Saturday, May 18th
Bundesliga: Wolfsburg x Mainz, 9:30 am ESPN+
Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen x Augsburg, 9:30 am ESPN+
WSL: Manchester United vs. Chelsea, 10am CBS Sports Golazo Network
Paramount+
Serie A: Torino x AC Milan, 2:45 pm Paramount+

Sunday, May 19th
EPL: Manchester City x West Ham, 11am NBC
EPL: Arsenal x Everton, 11am USA
La Liga: Real Betis x Real Sociedad, 1pm ESPN+
NWSL: Seattle Reign x Orlando Pride, 6pm CBS Sports Golazo Network

The hotline

Premier League decision day

You have to go back 35 years to see the last time an English team came from second place on the final day to win the top flight title. The Arsenal of 2024 will hope to take inspiration from their 1989 forefathers and if they are to overtake Manchester City at the post who is to say it won’t be as dramatic as Anfield 89′ Micky Thomas, it’s up for grabs now and everything? It may have been a miraculous feat for George Graham’s side at the time, but at least their fate was in their hands as they faced all those who conquered Liverpool.

Arsenal host Everton in north London on Sunday, knowing that whatever they do may not be enough. Mikel Arteta needs help. You might ask who better to give him that than a man who had such a fundamental impact on his playing and coaching career, David Moyes? Coaching West Ham for the final time, the Scot could enter folklore in a very different part of London if he manages to score a point at the Etihad.

• Arteta: “He has been fundamental and very important in my career, not only as a football player, but also as a person. He could help us achieve our dream and my personal dream of winning the Premier League. memory.”

It would be an extremely unlikely turnaround and the idea of ​​Moyes handing the title to Arsenal assumes Everton won’t have a say on the final day. Sean Dyche’s men may have nothing but pride in what they play for, but there are few managers in England who have as much fun disrupting the cosmopolitan Emirates Stadium as the Toffees boss, who had his team performing at an impressive level on the afternoon.

No wonder Opta gives Arsenal just a 16 percent chance of winning the title. There is a lot of work to do before they even begin to think about the favors they can get from a team that has been so woefully out of form in recent months. Still, there are jitters that could shake the city’s camp.

Since Tuesday night’s thrilling 2-0 win over Tottenham, Pep Guardiola has made a great move by recalling the Aston Villa game two years ago where City almost destroyed the title, going two goals down before coming back to win 3-2. and beat Liverpool at the post. Expect a similar type of contest on Sunday afternoon is the message that continues to come from the man chasing a record fourth consecutive English title.

• Guardiola: “We would like to be 3-0 up after 10 minutes [vs West Ham] but that won’t happen. I have a feeling it will be like Aston Villa. We are ready.”

The presence of Kevin De Bruyne would help City’s cause no end, offering the stable presence of a player who has been there and done it all before. Guardiola confirmed that he expects the Belgian to return to training before Sunday’s game, where the champions will be without Ederson, who is recovering from a small fracture in his eye socket. The absence of both players would be a headache for Guardiola, regardless of the form of Stefan Ortega or Phil Foden. After all, the last day can often be the one where form goes out the window, but the class shines.

Sponsored by Paramount+

Midfield Link Game

Will Bayern Munich ever find a coach?

Remember when Bayern Munich were boringly excellent? They signed Germany’s best young talent, took a knee at their nearest rival in the process, and hired a top-notch coach to get these players to perform at or near their collective level. Simpler times. Now the question is whether the club hierarchy is looking around Europe’s elite clubs and asking themselves “is it me? Am I the drama? Don’t I think I’m the drama? Maybe I am”.

There is such a mess at the Allianz Arena that you would be well advised to check your inbox once again when you have finished reading this newsletter, just to make sure you have not been offered the Bayern job. After all, everyone said no. Since the club announced in February that Thomas Tuchel would depart at the end of the season, unsuccessful attempts have been made to appoint *deep breath*: Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick and, inevitably, Tuchel himself. The prospect of unemployment, even if temporary, proved more attractive to the current Bayern coach than a step back that his employers were willing to make.

• Tuchel: “The February agreement remains. There have been further discussions, but we have not reached an agreement on further cooperation. That is why the agreement remains.”

One of Germany’s best managers, then, seems determined to walk away from a club that is willing to take a humiliating descent just to keep him in charge. He becomes more curious. It’s not that the Champions League semi-finalists squad requires a radical reinvention. Tuchel’s view that this team needs a true midfield disruptor was vindicated. He could probably also push for a new quarterback and eliminate some of those who didn’t treat him well in the locker room.

There are still candidates for Bayern. Going through coaches they have recently let go of would lead them to Hansi Flick, who is also linked with a role at Barcelona that could open up weeks after Xavi changed tack and was re-signed at Camp Nou. Would Roberto De Zerbi be tempted to leave the Premier League, where he sees his long-term future? The prospect of Erik ten Hag leaving Manchester United for Bayern Munich no longer seems as bizarre as it once did. In fact, the most curious facet of this interest is that the Bavarians believe that Ten Hag could function better in a more stable environment. Who at Bayern really believes they are in a stable environment?

Top stories

Allegri out of Juventus: Speaking of managerial changes, Juventus fired Max Allegri immediately after his explosion at the end of the team’s Coppa Italia victory.

Brazil, let’s go: As was widely predicted in Thursday night’s vote, Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup after beating a combined bid from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Canada’s new boss: Jesse Marsch joined Call It What You Want for one last shout-out as he takes the helm in Canada. You won’t want to miss this!

VAR under analysis: Could this really be the case for VAR in the Premier League? This remains up in the air, but Wolverhampton Wanderers have called for a vote on their future at this summer’s AGM.

Awards Season: It’s time to name the Rookie of the Year and Legacy Player of the Year in our latest NWSL vibration check.

In Wiedersehen: Here’s more on Tuchel’s announcement that he will not return to Bayern next season.

Going nowhere: About that Cristiano Ronaldo insists he has no plans to retire as he approaches his 40th birthday next February.

What’s next for Dest?: It won’t be another full year at PSV Eindhoven for the USMNT full-back, so What does the future hold for Sergino Dest?

The back row

Best bet

• Premier League: Brighton v Manchester United, Sunday, 11am
• THE PICK: Manchester United will win and four or more goals will be scored (+450) – Every Premier League season ends with a rather ridiculous match in which the defenders went on holiday a few days ago. This game screams non-stop chaos, although the fact that there are real sports bets on United – who need a place in the top seven for certainty in European football – means they can obscure it.

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

Morning Football (Weekdays 8am-10am): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans start their day on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest stories in football. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formatso you’ll never have to miss an episode.

Box 2 Box (Weekday afternoons): The news-based program quickly recaps all the latest headlines from around the world, with panelists predicting the day’s top matchups. Catch Box 2 Box on CBS Sports Golazo Network on the CBS Sports app, PlutoTV and Paramount+.

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The main women football podcast It is social brand now it’s a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our women’s soccer coverage is stronger than ever. Our analysts will analyze the USWNT, NWSL, and European domestic seasons throughout the year.

Kicking (Tuesdays): CBS Sports Golazo Network’s New Unfiltered Talk Show Returns Tuesday Hosted by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies, the group chat candidly with the biggest names in the Beautiful Game and share their stories on and off the field.

Call it whatever you want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Jesse Marsch and Charlie Davies cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

Punctuation (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to keep up with all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from major football competitions and all the unmissable goals from the day’s action, which starts Thursday and goes live air for seven days. one week.

How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the world’s major football competitions. You can stream for free on CBS Sports app, Pluto TV It is Paramount+.