Hi everyone,
It’s been almost like a summer Sunday here in Manchester and we are happy after the score against Norwich. Now we are ready to start the last Premier League week of the season. It’s time to make the last effort in pursuit of the fourth spot that we all want, and then we will work as hard as we can for the FA Cup final on the 21st.
We are in good spirits after winning in Carrow Road. With Norwich fighting against relegation, it wasn’t the most beautiful game we’ve played; it was a tough one, but in the second half we showed that we wanted those three points and I was lucky to help the team with a goal. It’s true that Norwich bring me good memories: I have scored several times against them, including my first goal in England. Saturday’s goal, and that’s the main thing, shows that we are eager to keep working, that we remain confident until the end. It may turn profitable when the season is over. It was a very important win to keep us in the fight for the Champions League, even more after the draw between City and Arsenal.
There is no time for celebrations though, since we have another game on Tuesday as difficult as the one on Saturday, or even more. It’s against West Ham, our last away game of the Premiership. It’s going to be special: the last official game at the Boleyn Ground, where West Ham has been playing for 112 years. With that image of Sir Bobby Moore, it’s a place that breathes English football… It will be an honour to be there and try to get the last win. West Ham has been a tough opponent this season. We know them well because we’ve played against them in the FA Cup too. They are in the seventh position by a combination of effort and talent, not by chance.
Then, on Sunday, we will play the last home game of the season. It’s always nice to have this farewell in front of our supporters, because we owe them so much. This time it will be even more special because they give us strength for the Wembley final. The game on the 15th is against Bournemouth. They have escaped relegation and will be looking forward to get an important score in Old Trafford.
The next week, the main leagues in other countries will be over too. Congratulations to Bayern, who won the German title this weekend. In Spain we have to wait until the last game to see who wins. It’s now between Barcelona and Real Madrid after Atlético’s defeat, perhaps a consequence of the effort in the Champions League -by the way, we will have a Spanish final. Things are also very tight at the bottom of the table, with three teams fighting to avoid relegation. The last week is going to be absolutely thrilling…
The worst news this week has been the death of a colleague in a football game: Patrick Ekeng, of Dinamo Bucharest, after collapsing on the pitch during a Romanian league match. My condolences to his beloved ones.
Lastly, I’d like to thank those of you who have participated on my website’s quiz. Many of you got it right! The raffle is already done so I invite you to check the list of winners to see if your name is there. I can see that you like this kind of contests so we will have some more in the future!
Have a nice week. Hugs!
Juan
