Every week, Sportsnet.ca will chat with soccer commentator James Sharman about the big stories and issues surrounding the Premier League.
SN: Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi will miss the rest of the campaign after undergoing surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon. What have you made of the English teenager this season?
SHARMAN: Prior to the season, the name Hudson-Odoi was familiar only as part of of the huge group of young Chelsea players who were in the mix to be loaned out, or on the bench searching for playing time.
Fast forward to April, and he is one of the most highly touted youngsters in football. The vast majority of fans probably only began to pay attention once news surfaced that Bayern Munich were after him before the January transfer window closed. A couple of impressive FA Cup matches earned him an England call-up, and then more recently he has found himself starting in the Premier League.
Hudson-Odoi looks very good, a true wide player who so far has impressed more on the left than on the right, although that is where Mauricio Sarri prefers to play him at the moment.
The injury is a big blow, of course, but it might work in Chelsea’s favour, as it is unlikely Bayern will try and pry him free again until he is all healed, and given Chelsea’s transfer ban, they can’t afford to sell off potential young stars.
David de Gea has come in for some heavy criticism this season, and he looked far from his best this week vs. Manchester City. Should Manchester United be thinking about replacing him for next season?
De Gea’s contract situation has dragged on for far too long, and it seems that he would like a move. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appears intent on rebuilding the club, and for that to happen players need to have character and want to be part of the project. If, as speculated, de Gea isn’t committed, then he should and will be moved.
I would not move him because of his form this season, though. United’s defence is atrocious, and it has worn down the Spaniard over time. Despite this, there have been matches this season when he has personally saved the team. Even though he may not have the distribution of Ederson or Allison, he is still one of the world’s best goalkeepers.
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Three games left. Who’s going down: Cardiff City, Brighton & Hove Albion or Southampton?
Brighton enjoys a three-point edge on Cardiff, and it also has a substantial edge in goal difference, so let’s call it four points.
Cardiff closes the season at Fulham, vs. Crystal Palace, and away to Manchester United, while Brighton takes on Newcastle at home, then travels to Arsenal, and hosts Manchester City. Suffice to say if Brighton beats Newcastle this weekend, it will be awfully difficult for Cardiff to catch them.
However, Brighton looks like a team that will never score another goal. It is six games and counting at the moment, while Cardiff is still fighting and scrapping every week. Still, it looks like Cardiff will fail when all is said and done, but I am certainly not 100 percent certain. Southampton? Safe as houses.
Did Manchester City’s midweek win at Old Trafford seal the title for them? Or does Liverpool stand a chance of overtaking them?
See above. There are still enough points available for this to swing in either direction, but City have done the hard work by beating Tottenham and Manchester United in their run-in. Of course, Turf Moor has provided many a shock over the years, and that is where City visits Burnley on Sunday, so you never know.
Does there really have to be a loser? These are two legendary teams, both enjoying legendary seasons. Do I see either team dropping points? No. Therefore, Manchester City will repeat as champions.
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