OPINION: One of many two can be a Premier League champion this yr, however that is the place the awards ought to finish.
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta are battling it out for prime spot (Picture: Getty)
Certainly one of Pep Guardiola or Mikel Arteta can be lifting the Premier League trophy in a couple of weeks’ time. The 2 have been embroiled in a title race for many of the season, with Arsenal’s lack of ability to tug away having left the door open for the chasing Manchester Metropolis.
There’s a perception that if Arsenal come away from the Etihad Stadium this weekend with both a draw or a victory, the Gunners will go on to complete prime of the pile and safe the league title. It will likely be the primary league championship in over 20 years for Arsenal, however even when Arteta brings the title again to Arsenal, the Spaniard shouldn’t win the Supervisor of the 12 months award.
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The reason being easy: Arsenal have made far an excessive amount of of a multitude of the title race, even when they do win it from right here, to justify Arteta taking the prize. They’ve been subsequent in line for at the very least three seasons now, and whereas mitigating components have performed an element within the earlier two slip-ups, there was no excuse heading into this marketing campaign.
Arteta was handed what must have been the ultimate items of the puzzle in the summertime switch window, most notably a recognised striker in Viktor Gyokeres. Nonetheless, regardless of a stellar begin to the season, the Gunners have as soon as once more wobbled when the stress has been ramped up.
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They’re nonetheless favourites, and understandably so, but when Arsenal win it from right here, they’ll have probably crawled over the road, as an alternative of waltzing. However what about Guardiola? Granted, he wasn’t in the identical place as countryman Arteta heading into the 2025/26 season, however his new-look Metropolis group have additionally flattered to deceive.
Arsenal have handed the perennial champions sufficient possibilities to take management of the title race themselves, however inconsistency has plagued the Blues far too typically. If Metropolis do win the title, their most factors complete is 85. For all of the wealth and sources Metropolis have out there to them, that isn’t a classic title win for Guardiola.
Keith Andrews needs to be given the Supervisor of the 12 months award (Picture: Getty)
So who ought to win it then? There’s just one reply to that query.
Heading into the brand new season, it felt like most had Brentford marked down for a relegation scrap, with the Bees tipped by many to go down. Brentford rolled the cube by changing long-term supervisor Thomas Frank with the unproven Keith Andrews.
However just some weeks out from the top of the season, there’s nonetheless a risk Brentford may qualify for the Champions League. An absurd assertion that will’ve been laughed at by nearly everyone, most likely even Andrews himself, had you stated it again in August.
Elsewhere, Andoni Iraola could possibly be in with a shout if he guides Bournemouth to Europe. Whereas Unai Emery at Aston Villa, with the entire membership’s PSR restrictions, would’ve performed a unbelievable job to information them to the Champions League locations.
However one factor is for positive, if the query is ‘Who ought to win the Premier League’s Supervisor of the 12 months award?’ the reply definitely isn’t Guardiola or Arteta.
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