The wonderful Premier League coverage of NBC and its affiliated channels has been rightly praised here and by many other outlets, and these compliments and accolades won’t be recycledhere.
For the past two seasons, blanket coverage of all 10 games played on the season’s final day — dubbed “Decision Day” since issues regarding European places,relegation spots, and perhaps the title itself hang in the balance — has brought proceedings to a powerful close.
Perhaps the best part of NBC’s coverage is its week-to-week, steady andrelentless detailing of whatever is going on, particularly to those good clubs that have gone bad. The crash of Chelsea, the struggles of Man United, the plight of Liverpool have all been detailed anddiscussed to the barest nuance.
This season, there’s also the soccer equivalent of a real pennant race: two party-crashers, Leicester City and Tottenham, have knocked the Big Four out oftheir penthouse and livened up the chase. Thanks to scheduling and a staggering commitment by the network to show as many games on as many outlets as possible, a powerful triple-header will take overthe first Sunday after Super Bowl Sunday.
For the past two decades, exponential increases in television coverage of the NFL, NBA, NHL and major league baseball has enabled fanatical fans tofollow an entire league instead of just a home team or favorite club. Now followers of the Premier League can do the same and really gorge on a product they like. At riple-header involving allfour of the top teams along with the troubled tale of Liverpool will be served up on Sunday.
Starting at 7 a.m. Eastern, NBCSN will show all four of the top teams in head-to-head matchups, aswell as another entry in the sad tale of Liverpool. There is also an NBC three-decker on Saturday for fans of Chelsea and Man U, which are playing Newcastle and Sunderland, respectively, but thereally important games are set for Sunday.
Leicester City takes a five-point lead to Arsenal, which is tied for second with Man City and would fall eight back if it loses. The Foxes thrashedMan City, 3-1, last week at the Ettihad and must be feeling pretty foxy about their chances this weekend even though the Gunners inflicted Leicester’s only home loss this season, a 5-2 thrashingin September.
Alexis Sanchez rang up a hat trick after Theo Walcott had matched an opening goal by Jamie Vardy, whose record scoring streakwas just getting started. Skeptics wondered if the Arsenal romp provided a template of how to beat Leicester but since then, only Liverpool has beaten the Foxes and that was a 1-0 decision at Anfieldin December.
On Thursday, MLS announced its all-stars will play Arsenal in San Jose near the end of July. The Gunners are battling a stigma of recent league collapses as much as Leicester Cityand being at home is sure to ratchet up the pressure on several players renowned for capitulation rather than accomplishment.
Whatever the result of the first game it will have significantramifications for the third game, which pairs fourth-place Man City with Spurs. But in between Liverpool plays at Aston Villa, rooted in last place and sliding inevitably, it seems, into relegation.Liverpool, like Man United, is always newsworthy regardless of its place in the standings, and by booting Brendan Rodgers in October it created one of the season’s signaturestories.
Since hiring flambouyant German manager Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s stock hasn’t improved markedly. In 29 games (all competitions) it has won 12, losteight, and tied nine. It is ninth in the Premier League, has reached the League Cup final (against Man City), and lost to West Ham in the FA Cup fourth round.
Liverpool’s fans hit theheadlines last week by walking out of the match against Sunderland in the 77th minute to protest proposed ticket-price hikes that would top out at 77 pounds (about $112). The people walked and thepeople won; on Wednesday the team announced the increases would not be implemented.
No doubt the NBCSN band of commentators and pundits will have plenty to say about the walkout and itsaftermath, but the spotlight will quickly shift to game three of the day and how Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini are handling the news that he will be replaced by PepGuardiola next season. Seldom does a Premier League weekend pass without some earth-shattering developments, and while rumors of this move began circulating months ago, the word went officialon Feb. 1, and three days later Leicester parlayed a pair of goals by defender Robert Huth into a comfortable win.
Pellegrini’s task against Tottenham is assistedsomewhat with news that captain Vincent Kompany, sidelined since Nov. 8 with a calf injury, is ready to return. City is six points behind Leicester and could be anywhere from three tonine points off the lead by Sunday night depending on results.
In any other season, a Spurs team tied for second place in mid-February would be the league’s top feel-good story. As theyare in the standings, they are second to Leicester in marquee value. Manager Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Kane will play vital roles against Man City and for therest of the season as they try to notch their first-ever Premier League placing in the top three.
Nothing definitive will be determined Sunday. There are still more than three months to go.But a programming block of more than six hours, as slick and crisp as anything produced by a U.S. network, allows us a wonderful opportunity to indulge.