Plans for final day, out of bed, dream away

The Independent’s football newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( May 20, 2022 [The Independent]( Miguel Delaney's Reading the Game Written by Miguel Delaney   Plans for final day, out of bed, dream away   The champions require a slight change of scene Sensing that his Manchester City players were a bit frazzled after Sunday’s draw at West Ham United, Pep Guardiola decided he needed to do something. That was by letting them do nothing. Guardiola gave the squad Monday and Tuesday off to just clear their heads, and refresh. They’ll need it this weekend, for one of those gloriously rare occasions when a title race goes right to the final day. It is just the ninth time it has happened since the Premier League was founded in 1992. While some might quibble that again overlooks so much history before that, it is in this case warranted. The very idea of a full-schedule final day didn’t really exist until the competition was founded. Derby County, famously, won the 1972 title sitting on a Spanish beach. Liverpool aren’t quite in that kind of mood, but they are more relaxed than City. That is because they have already won two trophies, and have the biggest to come. While the Premier League is obviously the one Liverpool want most, the dynamics of the race mean they know it will now be a bonus to win it, if admittedly a bonus that could make it the greatest season in history. Either way, they have accepted the situation as it is. The big question is whether that is actually to their benefit going into a day as intense as this. City, by contrast, need to win the league to save their season. That can ensure they are playing themselves as much as they are facing Aston Villa. It is just one other little tension that adds to the day, makes it all the more compelling. Arsenal not panicking, despite accusations the team did The race for the Champions League is still technically alive, as Arsenal can at least mathematically overtake Tottenham Hotspur, but it’s fair to say no one holds out that much hope. There is still a lot of optimism the project is on the right track under Mikel Arteta, though. As bad as this season’s late collapse was, it is seen as someway understandable given the youth of the squad and the amount of restructuring work that has been done. That is why fifth place is still viewed as a good performance, and Champions League qualification would have been “ahead of schedule”. It helps that the very schedule for the Champions League itself is set to change. With five English clubs likely to qualify after the 2024 reforms, the Arsenal hierarchy believe that they can push out a bit with expenditure. As reported in this newsletter a few weeks ago, it could be a very busy summer. The Champions League changes mean there could be up to even £250m spent. Arsenal aren’t willing to be taken advantage of, though, and they have already balked at Manchester City’s £55m asking price for Gabriel Jesus. They are willing to look elsewhere. Spurs meanwhile feel so satisfied, and relieved, they ultimately looked at Antonio Conte. It has been a crucial moment of the season, and changed their campaign. Mbappe has more than his own future in hand The question everyone is still asking, and that could shape the entire transfer market, is what next for Kylian Mbappe. He says he is close to his decision, and so many people involved assume that is Real Madrid. Figures around the Bernabeu are getting increasingly bullish about it. When one source was asked on Monday what the status of the deal is, the response was “done - and even more done than it was yesterday”. And yet it is still unsigned. Adding another layer of complication is what is happening this week. Paris Saint-Germain are on a big publicity trip to Qatar, to meet the owners, but it will involve serious discussion. The hierarchy are giving it the hard sell. While the reports of Mbappe effectively being given sporting director responsibilities are naturally overstated, he will be allowed unprecedented influence for a player. That’s all the more interesting because there could be movement above. Connected sources say high-level meetings in Qatar this week could decide the future of either Leonardo, the sporting director, or Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of the club. The hierarchy are naturally fully conscious of how the “sporting project” is not exactly performing to the maximum. The European performances seem to get worse in an almost self-perpetuating manner. They are even doing “audits” to examine “institutional behaviour” at the club - in other words, the star power that has led to such failure. Whatever the findings of these audits, the solution is surely obvious. That is to stop signing prime talent on huge contracts, and give the coaching staff more authority. It is also why the future of Mbappe is so crucial to all of this. As the brightest talent in the game, he is the future. So what do they do if he leaves? Would they have to double down in order to maintain their “profile”? Leonardo is intent on Paul Pogba, but then the power dynamics at the club could be drastically changed. Business as normal for Boehly The Chelsea takeover story rumbles on, and ratchets up, although with one core issue. Roman Abramovich basically needs to offer legally-binding assurances that match what he has said in public: that he will not seek to recoup the £1.6bn debt, that the money will go to charity. That has not yet happened, although negotiations are ongoing. There is not yet serious concern it will lead to the takeover collapsing, so the Todd Boehly-led consortium are continuing with business as normal, and preparing to be in charge. Thomas Tuchel will sit down with Boehly again this week for more concrete plans. Another takeover option? Jim Ratcliffe received a lot of attention when he made a very late bid to buy Chelsea, that proved unsuccessful, but many in the industry believe he wasn’t too bothered with that at all. There is a feeling that the approach was really about broadcasting to the Glazers that Ratcliffe is willing and ready to buy Manchester United.   Top stories [Patrick Vieira kicks fan during pitch invasion after Crystal Palace defeat by Everton]( [One title, two Champions League places and seven relegation spots: Final day in Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1](   Miguel's Dispatches The last day of the season is that one afternoon where a journalist almost prefers to be in front of the television rather than in the press box. That is because most of the drama comes from shifting from one ground to the next, watching how developments at one affect the other. As is the case this season more than most, no single pitch is the main stage. From a reporter’s perspective, there is always that danger you’ve gone to the wrong game. Consider what happened in 2012. Sunderland was the place to be, and where to watch the title won, until those very final seconds. But that’s also the other side of it. There’s nothing like being there when the action starts up. I will be at City this Sunday, for two reasons. One is that they are still likely to win the title, given they just have to win at home. The second is that, if there is to be drama, it must by definition come at City since they have to slip up for Liverpool to win.   Quote of the day "FIFA should reserve an amount not less than the US$440 million prize money offered to teams participating in the World Cup, to be invested in funds to support remediation." The key line from an open letter to Gianni Infantino, written by Amnesty International’s Agnès Callamard and signed by nine major human rights groups and supporters associations, challenging the governing body to offer compensation to migrant workers in Qatar who have suffered abuses.   Reading the game quiz Since the Premier League’s foundation, there have been seven clubs who have been in the bottom three at the start of the last day of the season, but still stayed up by the end of it. Name them. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too)   [The new Independent app]( [The new Independent app](   Essential reading //link.e.independent.co.uk/click/27777821.14676/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvc3BvcnQvZm9vdGJhbGwvY2hlbHNlYS1saXZlcnBvb2wtZmEtY3VwLWZpbmFsLXByZXZpZXctYjIwNzgxNDEuaHRtbA/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B934e9e98[Ibrahima Konate: Liverpool’s defensive giant lighting the pathway from squad member to starter](   [Roy Hodgson and Watford: A doomed marriage both sides would like to forget](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). 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