Manchester City can take a decisive step towards a third consecutive Premier League title this weekend as they face struggling Leeds while Arsenal make a daunting trip to Newcastle. Veteran Sam Allardyce takes charge of his first match in charge of Leeds against a City side that have won their past nine league games.
Second-placed Arsenal still have hopes of a City stumble but Newcastle have a huge prize of their own to play for, knowing victory at St James’ Park would put them on the brink of Champions League qualification for the first time in two decades.
AFP Sport looks at some of the key talking points ahead of the action: Javi Gracia paid the price for a run of one point from five games, during which Leeds conceded 18 goals, as he was sacked on Wednesday.
Allardyce’s reputation for keeping sides up against the odds has persuaded Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani to gamble on the former England boss. nBut Allardyce faces a huge task with the trip to treble-chasing City followed by clashes against Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham.
“It’s probably only the biggest challenge (of my career) because of the shortness of games that are left,” said Allardyce.
Another victory would take Guardiola’s men four points clear at the top, at least until Sunday, but he is wary of the impact Allardyce could have.
“It will be tough because he has the charisma,” said Guardiola. “He will put out the pressure to the players and he knows exactly what to do in this kind of situation in a relegation battle.
To have any chance of winning their first league title for 19 years, Arsenal must win where their challenge for a top-four finish disintegrated last season.
Sam Allardyce boasted he is “as good as” City boss Pep Guardiola in an extraordinary press conference to announce his return to the Premier League. The 68-year-old has just four games to prove it and pocket a reported £2.5 million bonus ($3.1 million) for keeping Leeds in the top flight.
Source: eNCA
In other news – British musician Ed Sheeran wins US copyright trial
British pop phenom Ed Sheeran did not plagiarize Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s G when composing his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud,” a US jury ruled Thursday. Sheeran stood up and hugged his team after jurors ruled that he “independently” created his song, according to an AFP reporter inside the Manhattan federal courtroom.
The lawsuit was filed by heirs of Gaye cowriter Ed Townsend, who alleged that harmonic progressions and rhythmic elements of Sheeran’s song were lifted from the classic made famous by Gaye without permission. Learn more
