Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 451: The Final Battle Approaches

On the evening of May 17, 2017, local UK time, at St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton hosted the Red Devils, Manchester United.

This was a rescheduled match for the 28th round of the Premier League.

Two days earlier, Chelsea narrowly defeated Watford 4-3 at home in a rescheduled match, reducing the gap with Manchester United to just one point. This rekindled the suspense in the race for the Premier League title this season.

However, if Manchester United could defeat Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium, they would still secure the Premier League title with one game to spare.

Unfortunately, Manchester United once again disappointed their fans.

Facing the Saints' defensive wall at home, United attacked for 90 minutes without scoring a goal.

In fact, United almost didn't escape St. Mary's Stadium unscathed. In the 5th minute, Maguire conceded a penalty that nearly handed United their fourth loss of the season. Fortunately, Argentine goalkeeper Romero made a heroic save, stopping Gabbiadini's penalty.

This result left not only the entire Manchester United team disappointed but also left Premier League officials speechless.

From the 36th round match at the Emirates Stadium, the Premier League CEO had been carrying the Premier League trophy to each game, ready to award it to United as soon as they secured the title.

According to Premier League rules, officials must carry the championship trophy and 40 medals to any match where a team might theoretically secure the title, to organize an award ceremony immediately after the team wins.

But starting from the Emirates Stadium, then to White Hart Lane, and finally to St. Mary's Stadium, United failed to hold their victory celebration.

This meant Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore had made three unnecessary trips.

...

United's three-match winless streak at the end of the season cast a shadow over what seemed like a certain title.

This slump was largely due to the grueling schedule United faced recently.

From the evening of May 1 to the evening of May 17, United played six matches in just 16 days, five of which were away games!

Even the strongest team would struggle under such a brutal schedule, and United also faced a wave of injuries, leaving them stretched thin in their lineup.

Under these circumstances, United's ability to avoid a complete collapse and secure three wins, one draw, and two losses was commendable.

Especially significant were the two victories in the Europa League semifinals, which saw United reach the Europa League final for the first time in their history, giving them hope of becoming the fifth team in European history to achieve a Grand Slam.

However, this success in Europe led to a dip in their Premier League form, resulting in their first three-match winless streak of the season and reigniting the league title race.

Fortunately, United still controlled their destiny in the title race, or they would have been heartbroken.

...

As the Premier League season finale approached, the standings were as follows:

Manchester United: 29 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses, 94 goals scored, 27 goals conceded, 92 points.Chelsea: 29 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses, 81 goals scored, 35 goals conceded, 90 points.Tottenham: 25 wins, 8 draws, 4 losses, 79 goals scored, 27 goals conceded, 83 points.Arsenal: 22 wins, 5 draws, 10 losses, 74 goals scored, 44 goals conceded, 71 points.Manchester City: 21 wins, 8 draws, 8 losses, 75 goals scored, 46 goals conceded, 71 points.Liverpool: 21 wins, 8 draws, 8 losses, 75 goals scored, 48 goals conceded, 71 points.

While the top three positions were almost settled, the battle for fourth place was intense. Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool each had 71 points, differing only in goal difference.

The standings highlighted the fierce competition in the Premier League.

In other leagues, including the Serie A where Bruno previously played, it was rare to see three teams with 70+ points in a season. In recent seasons, with Atletico Madrid's rise, La Liga occasionally saw three teams with over 70 points. But in the Premier League, six teams had already surpassed 70 points before the season ended.

It's truly frightening!

...

In the final round, the three teams vying for fourth place faced relatively weak opponents, none of which were top-six teams.

Liverpool hosted already-relegated Middlesbrough; Manchester City visited Watford, who were already safe from relegation; only Arsenal faced a slightly tougher opponent in seventh-place Everton at the Emirates.

Clearly, these three teams would likely go all out in their matches to secure the last Champions League spot, and their opponents were in for a rough final game.

Despite Everton's strong performance with 60 points, no one underestimated Arsenal's determination when competing for fourth place.

However, the usual relegation battles seen in the final round wouldn't occur this season since the three relegation spots were already confirmed by the end of round 37. Sunderland with 24 points, Middlesbrough with 28 points, and Hull City with 33 points were all relegated.

Of course, the biggest focus in the season finale was still the title race between Manchester United and Chelsea.

Overall, the title race held little suspense. United's final match was at home against a weak Crystal Palace, and securing three points should be straightforward.

Chelsea's final opponent was already-relegated Sunderland, who also posed little threat to Chelsea's winning streak.

Given that both teams were likely to win easily, United remained the favorite for the title.

Moreover, United only needed a draw in their final match to secure the title.

United's goal difference was 67, while Chelsea's was 46, a gap of 21.

Chelsea could only snatch the title from United in two scenarios: winning their match while United lost at home, or United drawing and Chelsea winning by a 21-goal margin.

Both scenarios were highly improbable.

Therefore, European media and betting companies all believed that United would clinch their 14th Premier League title.

...

This is the advantage and privilege of the leader: just win the last two matches, and the title is theirs!

English media had already begun warming up for United's potential title victory.

Guardian columnist Duncan Stewart published an article titled "Why Manchester United?!"

In Stewart's view, the key player was Bruno, the midfield maestro.

"Despite having stars like Rooney and Ibrahimović, and young talents like Rashford and Lingard, the most important player is Bruno Fernandes."

"This is a well-balanced and rational team."

Stewart backed his view with scoring statistics. United had scored 94 goals in 37 matches.

Bruno was the Premier League's top scorer, with 36 goals in 35 appearances, leading both the Premier League and the European Golden Shoe race, ahead of Messi with 35 goals.

"United's fear factor isn't just Bruno; it's their massive attacking squad."

Behind Bruno were his prolific teammates:

Ibrahimović, who was out for the season, had 17 goals.Mata scored 10 goals.Rooney, with limited appearances, had 8 goals.Rashford scored 7 goals.Gundogan had 7 goals.

"United seems like everyone except Lingard can score. They're unstoppable."

Their assist stats were also impressive:

Bruno had 21 assists.Ibrahimović had 10 assists.Mata had 8 assists.Herrera had 6 assists.Rashford and Rooney each had 6 and 5 assists respectively.

"Simply terrifying."

Stewart's article lavishly praised Bruno.

"This magical player not only broke the Premier League single-season goal record but also the single-season assist record. Facing such a Bruno and his Manchester United, no one can stop them."

...

Despite Chelsea's slim chances, they weren't mathematically eliminated. Thus, Premier League officials would bring the trophy and medals to Stamford Bridge for the season finale.

According to The Times, Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore would carry the real trophy to Old Trafford, while another team with a replica would go to Stamford Bridge.

Scudamore would bring the actual trophy to Old Trafford, and interim Premier League chairman Peter McCormick would lead a team with a replica to Stamford Bridge.

They would also carry another set of 40 blank championship medals to Chelsea's home, just like in 2012, with unused medals being recycled for the next season.

With the title race going to the final round, the medals would be engraved after the ceremony.

Premier League staff would set up award stages at both venues, supervise the ceremony, and manage photographers and broadcasters.

The winning club would receive 40 medals, distributed to players and officials.

According to Premier League rules, non-goalkeeper players must have played at least five matches to receive a medal, while goalkeepers only need to have played one match.

(End of the chapter)

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