ALL eyes on the next weekend with another crucial round of games as the Premier League season reaches its climax – with everything to play for at the top and the bottom. For West Ham there is a need to mirror Spurs’ results to maintain the two point gap between themselves and Tottenham who occupy eighteenth – the last of the relegation spots.
Assuming the two clubs are still locked together as the season reaches its crescendo, West Ham have their last day Leeds United ‘date with destiny’ at London Stadium which fans are looking at nervously: Leeds are to all intents and purposes ‘safe’ and therefore can either approach the game in a celebratory frame of mind or decide to try and put one over West Ham who they already defeated in the FA Cup quarter finals.
Tottenham, meanwhile, take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the penultimate matchday of the season.
The Blues have been in terrible form and the Spurs must have been relishing that next to last day encounter, had Liam Rosenior been in charge – however five straight losses got the likeable English coach (and self confessed Hammers fan) fired today and therefore what will follow might be much less welcome from Tottenham’s point of view.
Chelsea have appointed a caretaker manager for the last five games of the season: As the Chelsea web site puts it:
“Calum McFarlane will take charge of the team as interim head coach until the end of the season with support from existing club backroom staff, as we strive to achieve European qualification and progress in the FA Cup.”
The youth team coach – who is now running the Chelsea senior side for the second time this season – will be all-in to impress his BLUECo. bosses and could well get something of a tune out of his expensively assembled Chelsea squad. According to thesun.co.uk:
“The Chelsea hierarchy views their interim boss as a “rising star” within the world of football management”
Five League games plus an FA Cup semi final means McFarlane has nothing to lose and everything to prove. And that just might make his Chelsea side a bit more of a threat to Tottenham. Good.