Chelsea Looks to Fire Graham Potter

Chelsea manager Graham Potter is on the verge of being fired after back-to-back lackluster performances by the team in the FA Cup tournament and Premier League; if Potter doesn’t win the next decisive matchup against Liverpool, it may be his last match as the Chelsea manager.

After reaching the mountaintop by claiming the Champions League title, the most prestigious honor in the sport, Chelsea has been on a very rocky road. Sacking former manager Thomas Tuchel following the UCL win did not do much better, as they have now lost 7 out of the last ten games under Potter. 

To make matters worse, their crushing 4-0 loss against Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup marked their first exit from the FA Cup third round since 1998. Their PL losing streak extended after Fulham clinched a narrow 2-1 victory, the first against Chelsea in 17 years. 

Meanwhile, the Blues recently loaned Atlético Madrid forward João Félix ahead of the Fulham clash, which was rather a shot in the dark considering Félix’s underwhelming performances at Madrid. Despite Felix’s fluid performance in the first half, he made a careless slide tackle that ultimately ejected him from his debut match. 

In addition to the other growing concerns over whether the recent transfer spree of Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madeuke will address Chelsea’s core problems, Potter must take drastic measures to save his team from doom; otherwise, Chelsea will kick him out in no time.

Xavi Hernández Wins First Title As Manager for FC Barcelona 

After taking charge of a lackluster FC Barcelona in November 2021, manager Xavi Hernandez won his team its first trophy since their 2021 Copa Del Rey title under Ronald Koeman on Sunday after Barça crushed rivals Real Madrid in the Supercopa España Finale. 

While the Supercopa win may be the last of priorities for Xavi among other tournaments like the Europa League, La Liga, and the Copa Del Rey, the Clasico Finale has nonetheless confirmed that this reinvigorated FC Barcelona is worthy of ending its 4-year La Liga title drought. The young midfield duo of Pedri and Gavi outshone in Saudi Arabia, each bagging one goal, while veteran forward Robert Lewandowski’s goal hammered the final nail in the coffin to claim a 3-1 victory over Los Merengues. Further, Barcelona currently tops La Liga standings with 41 points, with Real Madrid trailing by just 3 points.

The Supercopa win has provided a promising outlook for potentially a new generation of “barcelonismo” dominance, and may become one of the greatest comeback stories since Leo Messi’s departure from Barça and major financial problems.

Manchester United Continues an Unprecedented Run

With a surprising 7-game win streak, Manchester United has ascended into the top four of the Premier League, a complete turnaround for manager Erik Ten Hag in six months time at United. While their goal at the start of the season may have been to bounce back from a disappointing end to last season by finishing in the top four, United has kindled new hope with their perfect run since the World Cup and stunning 2-1 win against Manchester City, all of which could consolidate into a more ambitious title challenge since 2012.

Despite their miserable start to the season with a crushing 4-0 defeat to Brentford, a title challenge is indeed not far off. While Arsenal still leads the Premier League by a full eight points ahead of 2nd place City, United has an opportunity to narrow their gap between current favorite Arsenal with just another win next weekend against them. Furthermore, United’s defense is led by three of the best defenders in the league: Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martínez, and Casemiro. Additionally, Marcus Rashford’s 8 goals in the last seven matches have taken opponents by storm, providing the main fuel for their unprecedented win streak. At the least, Ten Hag has instilled growing hope within the fans at Old Trafford that maybe — just maybe — the trophy will come back to Man United in more than a decade.