Sport Update On May
May is going to be a very big month for North London football supporters. At time of writing Arsenal have given up a nine point lead to Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title and Spurs are in grave danger of being relegated to the Championship for the first time since 1977.
Arsenal were being backed for the quadruple not long ago but crashed out of the FA Cup to Southampton and then were beaten in the Carabao Cup final by title rivals City. They are still in the title race but the advantage has been seized by the Manchester club who now have their destiny in their own hands, and although they have a winnable semi final in the
Champions League against Atletico, the Gunners will have to get past either Bayern Munich or PSG in the final if they are to secure a major trophy this season. As for Spurs, they currently occupy the third relegation place in the League and the new manager will have to perform a Houdini act if they are to preserve their Premiership status.
The Premier League finishes with match week 38 on the 24th of the month and there will be plenty of supporters watching through their fingers as both the top and bottom of the League looks like going down to the wire. The Champions League final follows on Saturday May the 30th and
Arsenal will be hoping to have a place in that final and make history by
winning it for the first time regardless of how the league campaign finishes. As for the other major European leagues, Barcelona are away and gone in La Liga, Inter have secured Serie A and Bayern Munich have hosed up in Germany, helped by another fifty goal season from the Magnificent Harry Kane. In the French Ligue one, the probability is that PSG will win it again but they’re being given a run for their money by Lens, who are having a wonderful season and have already secured a Champions League spot for next year.
Away from football, the F1 schedule gets back on track and there are two races taking place in May, the first in Miami on the 3rd of the month and then the show moves on to Canada on the 24th. Mercedes have made a great start to the season and lead the team standings and the new wonder kid on the block, nineteen year old Kimi Antonelli, leads the driver table after two wins and a second so far this year. There’s a long way to go, but with George Russell driving well alongside Antonelli, team Mercedes will take some stopping in their quest to become champions again.
After a terrific Masters,
where we saw Rory McIlroy become only the fourth player in the tournaments history to retain the title, the next major of the year, the USPGA, takes place between the 14th and the 17th of the month. Last years winner Scottie Scheffler will be a danger to all after
finding his form again after the birth of his second child and McIlroy, who I imagine will be scheduling his entire year around the four majors from now on in his quest to be amongst the giants of the game, will most likely be a contender every time he tees it up.
In a packed month for major sports, the FA Cup final is on the 16th, the next tennis major, the French Open starts on the 18th, the Europa League final is on the 20th, the rugby Challenge Cup final is on the 22nd followed by the Investec Champions Cup final the following day and as mentioned above, we round off with the Champions League final on the 30th. The conclusion of all the football competitions always makes for compelling viewing at this time of the year and there’s plenty to look forward to. Happy viewing!