Everton secure Premier League status, Gulf News experts discuss Leeds and Burnley’s survival chances

Gulf News

Everton secured their Premier League status with an incredible fightback at Goodison Park where they came from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace 3-2. It means Everton’s unbroken 68-year stay in the top flight continues for another season.  At full time the excitement boiled over as fans invaded the the pitch to celebrate, with blue mist shrouding the famous old stadium as smoke flares were let off. They were incredible scenes and the Gulf News football experts discuss the game and talk about Leeds and Burnley’s survival chances.  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #UAEnews #football #PremierLeague

Transcript

00:00there's literally just one place to start today and that is with Everton. As you can see the

00:05decorations are up, the kits are up because Everton have secured their Premier League status

00:10after a thrilling comeback game.

00:20Hello and good morning, you're watching Golf News kicking back the chat show which is all

00:25about football and there's literally just one place to start today and that is with Everton.

00:30As you can see the decorations are up, the kits are up because Everton have secured

00:35their Premier League status after a thrilling comeback game against Crystal Palace last night

00:40at Goodison Park. Found themselves 2-0 down at half time and literally for all us Evertonians

00:46we were thinking the worst, we were thinking that's it, team's going down because the game

00:50after Crystal Palace on Sunday was against Arsenal and getting any kind of points there

00:55would have been, I think would have been way too hard. Half time team talk, Frank Lampard,

01:01you know the experience he's got as a Chelsea legend, he's done everything in the game,

01:05he got the guys up you know for the second half, the crowd was behind the team. Michael Keane

01:10scored a superb goal for a centre half and then Richarlison got the leveller and with five minutes

01:16to go Dominic Calvert-Lewin has had an injury plagued season, he's got a fantastic header,

01:22the comeback was complete, pitch invasions, full-time wrestle went and Everton have survived

01:28by the skin of their teeth. I mean they're going to be in the Premier League next season,

01:31hopefully fingers crossed they can't allow such a season to happen again. It's a good team,

01:36it's a good club, there's some good players there, good youngsters with a good coach,

01:40you know they need to be pushing on so hopefully that should be the last of that. Shamsir,

01:44what did you think of the game last night? Oh man, what a game, what a game. I think the main

01:53difference for this is that Frank Lampard has united the fan base and he has united the whole

01:58team. See they're not playing great football but this is not the time to play great football,

02:03it's all about results now and you can think about playing good football, system, tactics

02:08and everything from next season onwards. So he was brought to keep Everton up and he has done that

02:14and the way that he has done it was the hard way because after the first half was over and I thought

02:19it's going to be very very difficult but it was very important team talk for Frank Lampard and

02:25his very young Premier League managerial career, he has done wonders with that team to be honest

02:33because that team was going down to be honest. When Rafa Benitez was there, it was never going

02:39up. The graph was like this but then he came in, he had difficult times but then the most

02:46important thing, he has instilled a fighting spirit in that team and the Goodison Park was

02:51like a 12th man and even Frank Lampard after the game he was saying this is one of the biggest

02:55achievements that has happened in his career, that's a big statement and bringing

03:02Dele Alli in the halftime was the major difference and changed the system from three at the back to

03:07four at the back, made it 4-3-3 I believe and that changed because Crystal Palace was having

03:13full control in that match but then that shows Frank knows his football because people criticize

03:19him for being a young manager, not being tactically astute but that was brilliant from

03:25Frank Lampard, changing Andre Gomez and bringing on Dele Alli who had a terrible season to be

03:33honest but then for one important game, he turned up and I think he was a game changer for me

03:39and the goals from Michael Keane, what a touch. First touch was class and the second touch with

03:45his left foot, what a finish man. For a centre-back, that finish is absolutely brilliant.

03:51Then Calvert-Lewin scoring that all-important goal and the pitch invasion, all things,

03:56this is the beauty. People are trolling Everton for celebrating a relegation

04:02safety but still, that moment, you are there to celebrate because Everton is such a

04:10massive football club and going down to the championship for a future is going to be a disaster.

04:18So they have every right to celebrate in that way, I believe. And one more person that we have to

04:24take note is Richarlison. Richarlison is Everton's talisman. He has produced

04:30yet another game for Everton and he has scored four goals in the last four home games.

04:36That's absolutely brilliant. And see, now it is the time to focus on this team where the

04:42improvement is needed because they have spent like a hell lot of money on this squad and still

04:46fighting for relegation is not good enough for a club like Everton. They should be right up there,

04:51at least fighting for the top six. So I hope under Frank Lampard from next season,

04:56they will do the right things.

04:58Spot on, Shamsher. Everything you said there, I agree with that. A team like us should not be

05:03where we are. I had a feeling when we announced Benitez at the beginning of the season that it's

05:08going to be a struggle because like you say, the fan base was completely split. Nobody wanted him

05:12there. And unfortunately for him, the results started going the wrong way. The pressure

05:16started to build. The players lost their confidence and we found ourselves in the bottom half of the

05:21table. And the move to bring Frank in really changed everything. Well, at Goodison anyway,

05:27I mean, fans like you say, reunited again, got behind the team. The fans were always behind

05:32the team. It's just we were not happy with the signing of Benitez, obviously because of his

05:36past and the things that he said. But not just that. I mean, he wasn't, he's a spent force. I

05:41mean, he was in China. That's how bad he'd fallen. The game had changed completely. But anyway,

05:46thankfully, Everton survived. Me and Sahil were talking off camera just before we started.

05:51And Sahil, you were saying that you're very pleased that Everton have stayed up, right?

05:56Yeah, I'm happy for them. You know, they don't, I mean, it would be very weird for any football

06:01fan to see Everton in the championship. And as you mentioned, Imran, like the championship, okay,

06:06even though if you've gone back to the championship, it's not easy to come back in the Premier League.

06:10They're not bad teams in the championship. They gave a good fight. So if Everton,

06:14suppose if they had gone in the championship, it would not be easy to come back up. You know,

06:19I mean, Fulham have done it back and forth. Norwich do it back and forth. But still,

06:23it's not easy. They have done their jobs and they're back in the Premier League.

06:26So Everton have done a good job retaining their place. But this is not a team which fights for

06:31relegation. There are some expensive players in that squad. You know, they have spent good amount

06:36of money. But whatever it is, it's nothing wrong in celebrating. You know, they've stayed in the

06:40Premier League. They've had a tough time. But it's nothing wrong in celebrating safety.

06:45Absolutely right. I mean, I think that the celebrations are just more in relief. It's

06:49been such a stressful season, you know, seeing the team fighting for the relegation and managing

06:55to avoid that. I mean, last night could have been the last Premier League game at Goodison Park for

07:00God knows who knows, who knows how long had we gone down. But thankfully, now we've secured 39

07:06points. It means mathematically we cannot go down. The last spot is going to be between

07:11Leeds and Burnley. So guys, who do you think is going to be occupying that last spot to go down?

07:17Burnley are playing Newcastle in their last game. And Leeds have got a tough one against Brentford.

07:22I got a sneaky feeling that Brentford, I mean, they're hitting some good format at the right

07:26time. Thomas Frank's football team is always good to play a nice way. You know, with Tony in that

07:32team, with Ericsson and the rest of them, I got a feeling Leeds are going to be the ones that are

07:37going to be going down. Shamsher, what do you think? Who's going to go down?

07:41You can grab a popcorn and watch the final game now, Imran.

07:44Yeah.

07:46And yeah, it's going to be a tough battle. You can't really call it. The good thing is that

07:52Burnley has got a strong goal difference with them. And they're playing home against a flying

07:57Newcastle side. It's going to be very, very difficult for Burnley. But Mike Jackson,

08:02surprisingly, has made them play some good football. They're very resilient. Of course,

08:08we have seen Burnley under Sean Dyche being a very defensively organised team. So what Mike

08:13Jackson has given them belief to play ball at their feet. That's a difference that I have seen

08:18from this Burnley side. And that too in a very short time. And yesterday, they played three at

08:24the back. So to change a formation like that during a very crunch game in a Supreme League

08:29season is not easy. He has given confidence into this team. And they are playing football. And

08:34they got a very, very important point at Willow Park yesterday. Because that point could be enough

08:38for them to be safe, I believe. Because like what you've said, for Leeds, against Brentford,

08:44it's going to be very difficult. Especially Brentford are safe. They're flying. They're just

08:48playing free-flowing football. Because they can do that. Because they can afford to do that.

08:52Because they can enjoy their moment. But whereas Leeds will be very tense. They're very touchy.

08:57And even if they win, even if they win, they won't be safe. Even if they win,

09:01if Burnley gets all three points, then also Leeds are going to go down. But Leeds have to play

09:08their game and they have to win. And then wait Newcastle to do them a favour. But like you said,

09:14I think Burnley have the chance to stay up now. But I don't want that to happen, to be honest,

09:20after Burnley sacking Sean Dyche. I didn't like it at all. But we have to give credit to Mike

09:25Jackson for the way that he has turned around the fortunes for Burnley in such a short span of time.

09:31So, I also think it could be Leeds going down. But this is the Premier League and the story you

09:36can never write. You can expect the unexpected. Even if Burnley goes down, we can't really blame

09:42because that's how the Premier League is. And especially this season, absolutely incredible.

09:47Leeds' goal difference is horrific. I think they're minus 40 or something.

09:51Burnley's is something like minus 20. So, you're right. If they both win,

09:55then Leeds still go down. Sahil, between Leeds and Burnley, who would you rather have in the

10:01Premier League? Who do you think is better for the Premier League? Who do I think is better? I'm

10:06going to say Burnley. I like Burnley. You know what Shamshir said, when Sean Dyche was sacked,

10:13I was super furious. This guy never had a transfer budget. He played with the same

10:18players on a regular basis. Just recently, they signed Verghese. They signed Maxwell

10:23Cornett, these European players. Very barely, these guys signed players and they still somehow

10:28stay in the Premier League. If you remember in 2017-18, they came seventh place with one of the

10:33most bang on below average squads. Now, that is some achievement. So, when Sean Dyche was sacked,

10:40I was very upset. I was angry. Like, how could you do this to a manager who's done everything

10:44for your club? But then the new manager came in. He's done a great job. So, we can't really

10:49complain. But I want Burnley to stay up for Sean Dyche. I mean, being a Man United fan,

10:54I don't like Leeds, but Leeds are a much more easier team to play. So, it's complicated,

11:00but I hope Burnley stay just for Sean Dyche. Sean Dyche probably thinks or probably feels

11:06that he probably wants to see Burnley go down, just to prove a point, because you're right. The

11:10way he was mistreated there, it was really unfair. I mean, the guys guaranteed them safety several

11:15times in the Premier League. They've always, you know what to expect from Burnley. Unfortunately,

11:20they're going to be down there in the bottom half of the table and they're going to be struggling.

11:24But you always knew with Sean Dyche there that they're going to survive. But yeah, they pulled

11:28the trigger. They got rid of him. But to Mike Jackson's credit, he's done well. He's picked

11:33up three wins, two draws, but had a couple of defeats. But don't forget, one of those defeats

11:37was against Tottenham. Tottenham are flying right now. They're going for the Champions League.

11:42So yeah, it was unfair. But I'll leave it at Leeds, you know, got rid of Bielsa when they did

11:47and they brought in the American guy, Martial, who's also had a bit of a bounce. But that last

11:52place is going to be very interesting to see who's going to survive. Let's move on from the

11:58relegation battle. Let's talk about the Champions League. Now, yesterday, Chelsea had a 1-1 draw,

12:02against Leicester. And although mathematically, I mean, it's going to be a huge result for Tottenham

12:09to overtake Chelsea for third. They can finish on the same points as them, Shamsher. But are you

12:14happy overall with the way the season has been for you guys? Not really, because the season started

12:20with a lot of expectations, especially after winning the Champions League. And many pundits

12:26were talking about Chelsea being the champions coming end of the season. But we knew our

12:32problems. But then we thought Lukaku is the puzzle to sort out, the last piece in the puzzle to sort

12:38out. But the thing is that now when we read the things that we are reading in the papers and all,

12:43I think Lukaku was not Tukiel's first choice. And he needed someone else. And Romelu Lukaku was not

12:51the one who would fit in the system. We are reading all sorts of things like that. And obviously,

12:56with all the problems that we had off the pitch, finishing third in the Premier League is not a

13:02bad thing. And winning a couple of Cups as well, like the Club World Cup and Super Cup. But all

13:08the problems that we had outside the pitch, Thomas Tukiel has led this team very well, I believe.

13:16And the most important asset for us is Thomas Tukiel. And he's going to stay there. And with

13:20the new management, with the new ownership. And we hope that they will do the needful and

13:28bring in a couple of players. Not a couple. In fact, we need an overhaul, especially in the

13:32defence. Because many of them are on, I think they're leaving on free in the summer, like Alonso,

13:38Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen. Most of our backline is going. So we need a proper

13:46backline. And obviously, we need addition elsewhere as well. Because the kind of

13:50additions that Liverpool and Man City are making. And if you want to close the gap between these

13:55guys, these giants, you need to make proper signings. You need to back your manager. Otherwise,

14:00it's not going to help. But we have our problems. And we already know that we create chances. But

14:06we don't have clinical finishers in our squad. Even yesterday, Pulisic had like a sitter missed.

14:12And our goal came from one wing-back to the other one. I always think, no manager has

14:22tried Alonso as a striker. Because he is so poor defensively. But his technique is absolutely

14:28brilliant. Some would have tried him as a striker, I believe. But again, this clearly showcases our

14:33problem that we are struggling to find goals. We brought a 100 million man to score goals. He's

14:39struggling to fit into the team. So there are a lot of work to be done. But Thomas Tuchel is there.

14:43And that is a good news for all the Chelsea fans out there.

14:46Absolutely. Thomas Tuchel is there. He got you two cup finals as well. Unfortunately,

14:49both times, you played against one of the best teams in the world right now, Liverpool. And

14:53penalties both times. So Chelsea wasn't really beaten. They lost the penalty shoot-out, which

14:57can happen to anyone. But you're right, Shamsu. I mean, that's a lot of good players about to leave.

15:01Alonso, Rudiger, Eriks. These are all solid defensively. So yeah, got to be a bit of a

15:06rebuilding job at Stafford Bridge. And similarly for Man Utd, Sahil, at Old Trafford.

15:12You guys are going to have to be, you know, you're going to have to challenge next season. You're

15:17going to have to get rid of some of that deadwood. There's rumours about Paul Pogba joining

15:22Manchester City. What do you think about that, Sahil? And how's next season going to be for Man Utd?

15:27Next season, obviously, as you mentioned, there's a rebuild. A lot of players are leaving.

15:30Even rumours yesterday came that Aaron Van Bersakker, Eric Baio also will join the list

15:36who will leave the club. You know, Mata, Lingard, Cavani, Pogba. Many more are going to go. Maybe

15:43Phil Jones will be also leaving. So there is a rebuild. Obviously, Man Utd luckily have that

15:48budget. Like they are a team which spend a lot. So again, they have to do the same thing what

15:53they did last season, even though it didn't work out. Like they signed Varane, Sancho.

15:57Heavy, heavy money on these guys. So there is a rebuild. But I don't think they'll challenge for

16:03the title next season. Manchester United, they're a long way behind. But if they can target some

16:07other domestic cups, it would be a big, big thing. Huge thing if they target a league cup or an FA

16:12cup. Or if they qualify for the Europa League. But they're still way, way, way behind. I mean,

16:18I like the manager who's coming, Eric Ten Hag. And I hope, you know, we see that your Everton

16:24man, Donny Van Der Beek, gets also a chance at the club. I mean, he's flourished under Ten Hag,

16:29you've seen. But he's just not had his chances at Manchester United. So there's lots of problems

16:36at the club. Too many problems. It's not easy to rebuild a squad. There are going to be eight,

16:40nine players leaving, who usually are in the starting 18. So there's a problem there for sure.

16:46And what about, obviously, the big name, Cristiano Ronaldo? Everyone's got an opinion about this.

16:51Some say that he's the reason for the team struggling. Others say he's the reason for

16:55the team finishing where they have. I think it's the latter. I think Ronaldo's still terrific. He's

16:59still, even at age 37, he's still so good. He's still so fit. He keeps himself absolutely ready

17:04for the game. He's probably, you know, he's the reason why you've managed to finish, if you do,

17:10sixth, finish in sixth. West Ham are still chasing for that Europa League spot. If Man Utd

17:16finish seventh, that would be the conference league, which would be awful for Man Utd to be

17:21playing in there. But, Sahil, what's your opinion on Ronaldo? Absolutely. When someone tells me,

17:27like, oh, Ronaldo is the reason that Manchester United have not done well, it's absolute crap in

17:32my ears. I remember some shares saying that they didn't need to sign Ronaldo. I agree with that.

17:36Like, it was not a necessity that to sign Ronaldo. They were doing well with the likes of Cavani,

17:41Rashford. But then, okay, they signed Ronaldo. Okay. They signed one of the finest strikers

17:46in the world. So, why complain? We got Ronaldo. You should feel happy. But then,

17:51it's not Ronaldo. The likes of Sancho, three goals, four assists. Rashford, four goals.

17:56I don't know how many assists. Cavani is half the time out with some injury. He had one, two goals.

18:01These guys, even Greenwood had four, five goals until he left the squad. But it's these people

18:07who should be blamed. And the midfield, Bruno Fernandes. Look, Bruno Fernandes has created the

18:12most chances in the league. He's done decent. Yes, the expectations for Bruno Fernandes has

18:17reached a high level now after what he did in the first season and also in the last season.

18:23So, for me, Cristiano Ronaldo has done a good job. He didn't start well. Like, in the first year,

18:292021, he had only six or seven goals. He stepped up next year in 2022. He didn't start well in

18:35Janfeb. But after March, April, May, he started scoring simplistic goals. So, it's not Cristiano

18:41Ronaldo. It's surely not a problem. Man Utd should be happy. They have a guy who can get

18:46you goals out of nowhere. I remember against Shamshiri. If you remember the game against

18:50Chelsea, the way Man Utd were playing, horrible football. Chelsea were all over them. Like,

18:54the way Arish James was creating chances. And they had scored through an unbelievable goal

18:59through Alonso. But then Ronaldo, out of the blue, stepped up, scored a beautiful goal.

19:04So, Man Utd should feel happy they have an unbelievable striker in their team.

19:08They shouldn't complain.

19:34Right. Now, Eric ten Hag coming with a huge expectation. The good thing about Eric ten Hag's

19:56timing is that he's coming to Manchester United when United are in deep, deep trouble. So,

20:03if he can do little basic things right, he'll be treated as a legend already, to be honest.

20:07Because the problems are too huge over there. So, Eric ten Hag hasn't managed anywhere else

20:12other than Eredivisie. So, that's a huge ask for him. But he has got a lot of experience in him.

20:18He's one of the brightest managers. He was a disciple of Pep Guardiola in Bayern Munich.

20:25He has got all the experience in the world. But Premier League is a different ball game

20:30altogether. And it is Manchester United. The scrutiny will be too much. Everyone all around

20:37the world will be asking you questions. So, it's not going to be an easy job. And

20:41all the questions will be on the board, the United board. How are they going to...

20:50We are reading that Eric ten Hag will be going to Chelsea and all the transfers he'll be doing.

20:55They have to do that. Because they have to sign players that the manager actually

20:59need. Because this guy is coming with a certain philosophy. So, if he wants to implement his

21:04philosophy, board should give him the player that he actually want. Not the board need for

21:09their commercial business or whatever. So, they need to give him the proper players.

21:14So, we can only say anything about Manchester United after the transfer window, I believe.

21:18Because whatever players they are signing, we can actually analyse their probable season with

21:23those signings, I believe. And Eric ten Hag is a very disciplined kind of a coach. So, he will

21:29bring a discipline to that squad. I think player power is so much over there in that

21:34dressing room. Certain players are thinking too bigger than the club.

21:48He will play, he leads. If he leads the team, I believe. He is a top-class player. But he is not

21:54giving his best over there. So, when Eric ten Hag comes, he should instil discipline over there

22:00first. Then he needs to get the basic things right. So, a lot of work to be done. But it all depends

22:04on the transfer business that they are doing. If they are buying players according to the manager,

22:08they have a very good chance to fight for top four next season. Title is a long, long way for United.

22:15I think it is at least a three-year job for Eric ten Hag. But are they going to give him the time?

22:19That's a big question.

22:21All right, guys. Looks like we're having some connection issues here. So, we'll leave it there.

22:23There's still plenty to do. Obviously, this is the final weekend of the Premier League season.

22:28So, we'll be back to preview the games on Sunday to see who's going to win the title and who's

22:33going to be relegated. Thanks to the guys for joining. And for all the latest news, head to

22:37golfnews.com for plenty of news, reviews and videos. Until then, we'll see you next time.

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