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Premier League Roundup: Gameweek 35
Blogs

Premier League Roundup: Gameweek 35

Premier League Roundup: Gameweek 35

The Premier League once again delivered this weekend, and with just three games remaining for all 20 sides until the end of the season, there is still so much drama to settle.

Though the title and Relegation battles have been wrapped for a while now, the race for European football remains on a knife edge, with six sides competing for 2nd to 5th position, while Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham will all be harboring Europa League and Conference League aspirations.

And with the conclusion of this season edging ever closer, this weekend was also an opportunity for many to mark out their credentials for big summer transfer moves. With 26 goals across 10 games this weekend, there was no shortage of stand-out players and performers, and a number of Premier League transfer shortlists will have extended significantly after the weekend’s action.

Champions League Race Reaching Boiling Point

The most exciting unresolved plot point remaining in the Premier League 2024/25 season, the Champions League fight took on an extra dimension this weekend.

Prior to Sunday, Chelsea were given less than a 50% chance (according to Opta) of securing one of the top five spots, with fifth now a Champions League qualification spot. Hosting newly-minted champion Liverpool, many predicted that Chelsea’s hopes would be snuffed out if they fell to defeat.

After giving Arne Slot's heroes the customary, if slightly humiliating guard of honor, a combination of a Liverpool hangover and a near-perfect Cole Palmer performance instead saw Chelsea emerge with all three points in a 3-1 win, a result which the majority would say they roundly deserved.

With Nottingham Forest and Newcastle drawing their respective games, Enzo Maresca’s side moved two clear of Forest and level with the Magpies, while Villa’s win over Fulham also saw them move just a point behind sixth place.

With City and Arsenal looking the most likely to secure 2nd and 3rd, these four sides will be left to fight it out for the remaining two spots which will guarantee them a pathway into Europe’s premier tier of competition next season, something which for the likes of Villa, Newcastle and particularly Nottingham Forest would be a huge step as all three look to progress.

For Chelsea, it would represent an ascendancy to back where they belong, after a number of mediocre, underachieving seasons. While fifth place is still below the Stamford Bridge’s faithful’s lofty expectation, it would show them that the club is on the right track, and Champions League football would provide a big boost as they look set for another big spending summer.

The Outsiders - Who would Qualify for What?

While the big boys duke it out for a top five spot, the race for the second and third tiers of European football has been equally absorbing. Four superbly run mid-table sides in Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham could all make a rare appearance in Europe next season, but they are also relying on one particular result elsewhere.

The game in question is the FA Cup Final, set to be held at Wembley on the 17th of May. A rejuvenated Man City are slated to meet an exciting Crystal Palace, and it is a fixture that will be watched closely by all four European hopefuls and their cohorts. Their continental fate rests on the winner of this game.

Should Crystal Palace shock the country and pip Man City at the post, the Cup win would see them enter the Europa League next campaign. But if Man City, who already look set for Champions League Football next year, come away with the silverware, the cup win would be incidental, and the Europa League spot would instead go to seventh place in the league.

As a result, the Conference League spot would shift from seventh to eighth, fuelling a second battle for Europe. The big winners from this weekend were eighth placed Bournemouth and ninth placed Brentford. Andoni Iraola’s side staged a remarkable, if slightly fortuitous comeback at the Emirates as they beat Arsenal, while Brentford dismantled a struggling Man United side.

It was a particularly significant result for Brentford. Manchester United was objectively their most difficult game out of their remaining fixtures, and having posted a win, they have come from nowhere to make themselves one of the favourites in the race for Conference League football next year.

While Brighton aided Chelsea, Forest and Villa as they held Newcastle to a draw, they hindered their own pursuit of continental football, as both the Bees and the Cherries leapfrogged them, pushing the Seagulls down to 10th.

Fulham’s defeat saw them fall to the bottom of the chasing pack, but with just two points separating eighth from 11th, it is all to play for. Bournemouth still need to face Aston Villa and Man City, significantly shortening their odds, while Fulham and Brentford are set to meet each other on the penultimate day.

Both races for Europe look set to go down to the wire, and even on the final day, there could be countless permutations. One thing is for sure, the Champions League fight is not the only thing worth watching in the closing weeks of the season.

Big Targets make Big Statements

Moving away from European football permutations now - Premier League clubs are only too well aware that the summer transfer window is around the corner, and some clubs have already made early moves to secure a signature or two before things become too competitive.

A number of earmarked target’s showed exactly why they are held in such high regard by their pursuer’s, none more so than young Bournemouth centre back Dean Huijsen. The Dutch-born Spaniard was at his imperious best in the Cherries' win over Arsenal, netting himself a towering headed goal and marshalling the backline with the experience of someone 10 years his senior.

With a host of big clubs circling, including the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and even Real Madrid circling the youngster, his mature performance against Mikel Arteta saw his stock rise significantly, not to mention his price tag.

The same too goes for Alejandro Garnacho, whose goal and assist in United’s defeat to Brentford will have sustained, and perhaps even fuelled, Chelsea’s interest in the young Argentinian.

Surprisingly, Jamie Vardy is another one we need to include here. Following the Leicester legends announcement that he will leave the Foxes at the end of the season, the rumour mill has suddenly become rife with possible destinations for the 38-year-old Englishman.

While his side have been poor for so much of the season, Vardy was a constant outlet of promise, and of course tops the clubs scoring charts with eight league goals. His finish against Southampton, a sweeping finish into the roof of the net, was testament to the fact that although his burst of pace may have gone, his striker’s instinct still remains, and with newly promoted Burnley and Leed’s keep an eye on him, they will have seen plenty to like about Vardy’s performance. There is also the opportunity for a move to Championship-bound Wrexham, and I speak for all football fans when I say that is a cross over I want to see.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

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