Michael Owen has reacted to his prediction at the start of the season that Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea would finish in the top four and secure Champions League football.
That infamous end-of-game handshake between Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel back in August feels a long, long time ago now, as both London clubs have had seasons to forget, with Owen adding that they have made him ‘look silly’, as he told Premier League Productions (22/05/23 at 11:30 pm).
For Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, who is in his first full season in charge, it’s far worse because he has spent over £500 million, only to possibly end up finishing in the Premier League’s bottom half and sacking two managers – Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter – in the process.
Whilst Daniel Levy sacked yet another trophy-winning coach at Tottenham, then proceeded to put his assistant in charge, only to sack him weeks later.
And it’s Deja vu for the Spurs supporters because it’s Ryan Mason in charge, once again, with the north London club heading towards missing out on Europe altogether on the final day of the season.
Nonetheless, before a ball was kicked, Owen backed Manchester City to be champions, then Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool to follow in the top four, this is how he reacted to getting that all wrong.
“I think the champions being Man City was an obvious one,” said Owen. “I think top four. I didn’t get any of them right.
“Chelsea were absolutely dreadful. Liverpool were only a little bit better. And, of course, a resurgent at the end. Spurs was an awful pick.
“I can see the reasons why I picked them at the start, but now, it makes me a little silly.”
WHO WILL RECOVER QUICKER NEXT SEASON – TOTTENHAM OR CHELSEA?
Many would probably answer Chelsea because they have the squad, it’s just a case of trimming it, ironing out the edges and then letting a coach being able to work with the right amount of players on the training pitch.
Added to that, Chelsea are also close to bringing Mauricio Pochettino to the club, which at least tells the fans what path the club is looking to go down as they try to recover.
As for Spurs, their squad isn’t as near as good. They don’t have a sporting director. Fans are calling for Levy’s head. Harry Kane has 12 months left to run on his contract. No manager. And the fans want Levy out. Oh, that was mentioned already, but worth saying it again because he is making a mess of things on the football side.
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