Manchester City close the Premier League season with a bang; Jurgen Klopp says goodbye at Liverpool

Hello! The Premier League reached its long-awaited conclusion as Manchester City clinched the title once again on Sunday, but an off-season of uncertainty looms for them and a truckload of other top-flight European teams. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest news as the season winds down in Europe.

Football correction

All times US/East

Monday, May 20th
Serie A: Bologna x Juventus, 2:45 pm Paramount+

Tuesday, May 21st
Canadian Championship: Toronto x Saint-Laurent, 7pm FS2
US Open Cup: LAFC x Loudon United, 10:30 pm MLSsoccer.com

The hotline

Manchester City does it again

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The seemingly inevitable finally happened on Sunday when Manchester City clinched a fourth successive title following a 3-1 victory over West Ham United. Needing a win to eliminate any fears that Arsenal would recover, City started quickly with two goals from Phil Foden in the first 18 minutes. Mohammed Kudus almost made things interesting with his goal just before half-time, but Rodri’s second-half strike sealed the deal for Pep Guardiola’s side.

While City’s winning of Premier League titles may seem mundane at this point, they have actually reached a new milestone in their almost unprecedented success by becoming the first men’s team to win four successive titles in England. Pep Guaridola said post-game that the historic feat served as motivation for a team that has achieved almost everything it could, especially after last season’s treble.

Guardiola: “I had that season last year after [winning the Champions League to complete the treble in] Istanbul. I said, ‘It’s over, there’s nothing left.’ But I have a contract, I’m still here. At times I get a little tired, but at times I love it and we’re here winning games, looking good as new players. I started thinking [how] no one had done four in a row [so] Why don’t we try? And now I feel like it’s done, so what’s next? FA Cup [Final against Manchester United on Saturday].”

The latest award in a long line of them renews the question asked to Guardiola a year ago: where exactly do they go from here? City will go into the off-season as favorites to win the title again next season, but even the manager has doubts about when this run of dominance will end – and whether some key decisions will have anything to do with it. Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of the 2025 season and although he said he and the club will talk about his future at some point during next season, he also suggested that his stay in Manchester won’t last forever – “the reality is that I’m closer to leaving than staying”, he admitted.

Guardiola’s future may not even be City’s biggest concern next season. The Premier League is ultimately expected to hold a hearing relating to the 115 charges for financial breaches in October or November this year and expects a decision in the spring of 2025, by The Athletic. The pressure of following up a three-win season may pale in comparison to the issues that remain at the club when next season finally begins.

Midfield Link Game

Klopp bids farewell as football’s game of managerial musical chairs continues

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As the European season draws to a close, a transformational summer beckons for a number of clubs, with management changes taking place at many top-flight clubs. Arne Slot was officially appointed Liverpool manager on Monday, almost 24 hours after Jurgen Klopp unofficially began the club’s new chapter with leading the crowd at Anfield to chant Slot’s name. Liverpool’s preparation for next season, however, sets it apart from many of its peers, who are still looking for a new manager as the countdown to pre-season begins.

Brighton and Hove Albion became the latest club to join the manager search on Saturday when they announced that Roberto De Zerbi would not return next season – and not because he has another job lined up. There’s no shortage of gigs he could land: Bayern Munich is yet is looking for Thomas Tuchel’s successor, despite deciding in February that he would leave and recently failing to change his mind, while Juventus have not yet agreed a deal with Bologna’s Thiago Motta to succeed Massimiliano Allegri and could be keeping an eye on in De Zerbi. Manchester United, in turn, have another week to decide whether or not to release Erik ten Hag after the FA Cup final on Saturday.

There could also be a vacancy at Barcelona, who exited the training merry-go-round a month ago by convincing Xavi to stay after he decided to leave. The club is now flirting with the idea of sacking him, in part because president Joan Laporta disagreed with Xavi’s “realistic” view that Barcelona will have difficulty competing with Real Madrid due to financial constraints. by Guillem Balague.

This weekend’s crop of new job listings was accompanied by a new name doing the rounds – Kieran McKenna. The manager who led Ipswich Town to back-to-back promotions is now one of the leading candidates for the Brighton job and could be in contention for the United job if it becomes available, leaving yet another Premier League place open in the process. It could just be a race to the finish line for some clubs, as they start planning for next season, lining up players It is managers.

The back row

Best bets

Serie A: Bologna x Juventus, Monday, 2:45 pm
THE PICK: Dusan Vlahovic will score (+200) – The final Serie A weekend game comes with its own managerial storylines, especially after Juventus abruptly sacked Massimiliano Allegri last week. His likely successor, Thiago Motta, will be on the Bologna touchline after leading them to secure a place in the Champions League for the first time since 1965, which could provide incentive for some Juventus players to impress later in the season. It’s difficult to say whether or not Juventus will be at their best with little to play for this season, but if they excel on Monday, expect top scorer Dusan Vlahovic to play an important role in the midst of a 16-goal season.

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 Unfiltered interview show will launch on 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+.

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