With the abundance of talent, money, and the eventual competition they bring, the Premier League has capitalised on its riches and outreach to position itself as the yardstick for global football.
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The Bundesliga and La Liga are virtually wrapped up by leaders Bayern Munich and Real Madrid respectively, whereas the Premier League title race is heating up with each passing game week with the top two teams from England trading blow for blow and swapping positions seemingly every matchday afternoon.
As you dive deep into the foray, one begins to see how this dog-eat-dog league in England could prove to be a double-edged knife as Manchester City and Liverpool, arguably the two strongest teams in world football at the moment, need to establish a two-pronged approach to deal with the demands of the Premier League and the Champions League simultaneously as we near the business end of the season.
“It can work against you; it can work for you. At the end of the day, one team could wrap their league up early and another at their own pace,” starts Terry Phelan, the fullback who has represented multiple clubs across Europe and the world including the likes of Premier League champions Manchester City and Champions League holders Chelsea.
“If you look at Manchester City and Liverpool as a title race itself, I think it is going to go right down to the wire.”
“Then you’ve got Liverpool and Manchester City competing in multiple competitions and with the big games coming up for both the teams, that could take a whole lot out of the players. You need big squads and the two teams have got that,” explained the ex-Kerala Blasters boss.
“But I think the gaffers know how to deal with the players, the training, the philosophies, and obviously, along with the advancements made in the departments of strength, conditioning and overall sports science, I think it’s just managing. I don’t think there would be a lot of training going on, rather, there will be a lot of rest and recovery sessions in order to get ready for the big games,” continued the Irishman.
“This is why you have big squads, and if teams like Chelsea, City or Liverpool can keep their top players fit then they’ve got as good a chance as anybody else in the tournament, be it Real Madrid or Bayern Munich or Atletico Madrid,” Phelan told News18.com.
After complete chaos, comes complete calm:
The precarious position Champions League holders Chelsea find themselves in at the moment is pretty much-uncharted waters for a football team of its stature. The club has had to navigate through turbulence ever since the sanctions on Russian owner Roman Abramovich were declared by the British governing entities.
“Chelsea haven’t won the Premier League for a couple of years now and some people have already started to say that they are a team that just wins cup tournaments and question their ability to mount a genuine fight for the league title, so it would definitely send out a big statement if they do manage to win the CL this season,” said the 1988 FA Cup winner.
“But it isn’t about the owner, it isn’t about the manager, it isn’t about the staff. The players have still got to go out and got to play their game. They need to put a show up for the supporters that turn up week in and week out,” continued the 55-year-old.
The London club’s success over the years has been inexplicably tied with the wealth and influence of the oligarch and Thomas Tuchel would be looking for a statement victory in the Champions League to establish the club’s identity in the post-Roman era.
“What has happened has happened and that can’t fester in a club. And their loss in the Premier League over the weekend could motivate them to be stronger now,” asserted Phelan.
“They beat Real Madrid last season and went on to win the Champions League, so, can they do it again this season? Why not.”
“Teams need to be fearful of Chelsea because when they are on song, they are one of the best units in the tournament. They even beat Manchester City in the finals last year, they played deep, played aggressively and got a breakaway goal,” he reflected on the club’s win last year.
“But obviously, they come up against a different opposition now. A Real Madrid team that has been rejuvenated. They are doing well in their own domestic league and have a couple of players who can unlock the defences. I think it is going to be a very interesting game,” elucidated Phelan.
“But I don’t think that there will be any player sitting in the dressing room thinking about the owner, or his plight. They’ve got to think about themselves and when they walk over that white line at Stamford Bridge, they’ve got to go out there and really put a show on,” South United FC’s technical director concluded.
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Quarter-final Leg 1) – LIVE on SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels from April 6, 2022, at 12:30 am IST.
Watch Man. City vs. Atletico Madrid Live on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on April 6, 2022
Watch Benfica vs. Liverpool Live on SONY TEN 1 on April 6, 2022
Watch Chelsea vs. Real Madrid Live on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on April 7, 2022
Watch Villarreal vs. Bayern Live on SONY TEN 1 on April 7, 2022
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Quarter-final Leg 1) – Man. City vs. Atletico Madrid LIVE on SONY TEN 2(English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on April 6, 2022, from 12:30 am IST.
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Quarter-final Leg 1) – Benfica vs. Liverpool LIVE on SONY TEN 1 (English) channels on April 6, 2022, from 12:30 am IST.
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