Mine came against Watford in November 2015. Aston Villa had a terrible start to the season, but as a team we all felt that a win would stop the rot. We stayed 1-0 and I equalized just before halftime. All my emotions fell out as I was celebrating. I was a captain and I wanted to set an example. I was convinced that the design level would be the catalyst we needed to get off the bottom. I was wrong. We ended up losing 3-2 and there would be no going back. The Villa was eventually relegated after a devastating 11-game losing streak. The numbness I felt after the confirmation of our fate will never leave me. Throughout this campaign, we have been told that demotion will not happen. A team with the history of Villa – to win a European Cup and always be in the Premier League with fanatical fans – should never have been in that position, but the reality was overwhelming and bleak. Everton would be the biggest team in Premier League history to be relegated The relegation would be disastrous for Frank Lampard’s team and it is a game they can not lose It was huge news. Villa was the largest team to have this fate, bigger than Nottingham Forest (1993) and Leeds (2004). They will lose that title this spring, however, if Everton fall. Everton is a huge club. Paul Power, my former Manchester City youth coach, was part of the last team to win the title in 1987. He told me about their history and reputation and why they should be given the utmost respect. The younger generations may not appreciate it, but I know exactly what they have done. Aside from Paul, I have Gary Lineker – who had an incredible season at Goodison Park in 1985-86 – reminding me of what they stand for. Leicester are Gary’s team, but they have a huge love for Everton. In December of last year, I wrote here about Everton, the amount of money they had spent – more than 500 500 million in five years – and I could not understand how it was in such chaos. I concluded that they would not go down, but now I can not be optimistic about their prospects. A lot, of course, can – and will happen – in the next six games, but the difficult position they are in is similar to what happened at Aston Villa. When I was at Aston Villa, I thought we would get out of trouble, but we ended up falling When you look at their team, you see names like Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, No. 1 in England at Jordan Pickford and renowned internationals like Yerry Mina, Allan and Fabian Delph. Your instinct would be to say, ‘Relegation? No way!’ But reputation means nothing when you are at the bottom and the more they analyze things, the more they will appreciate how serious it is. You will hear the players say that they do not look at the table but do not believe it; they will look at it three times a day. Also, when you are down there, small incidents can happen to you. Last week at Anfield Ben Godfrey was injured in the warm-up and Michael Keane has 15 minutes to prepare to try to contain the hottest strikers in Europe. It was a thankless project.
Everton have many great players such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richardson and Jordan Pickford I heard Frank Lampard criticize the way he approached the Merseyside derby from a tactical point of view, creating his team to disappoint Liverpool, but what did he have to do – try to beat Jürgen Klopp’s team? People should not look at Lampard to produce attractive game patterns – this is an unforgivable battle for survival and Everton must secure every possible degree in any way they can. Style means nothing now if you are on the wrong side of the dreaded line. What worries me most about Everton is the change in Burnley’s momentum. I was critical of the decision to fire Sean Dyche, I could not understand it, but Mike Jackson has galvanized his team. With all due respect to them, too, players will not be upset because they are in this part of the table. They are perhaps better equipped to cope with a relegation race and have the experience to deal with what it takes to stay alive. But the resurgence of Burnley under the temporary Mike Jackson (right) means I’m anxious about candy This is unfamiliar territory for Everton, whose 14-game losing streak of 19 games earlier in the campaign has led me to draw parallels with my Aston Villa. There were times – like when they beat Arsenal and Leeds – that they thought all would be well. But no one can say that it will be okay now. On Sunday, they face a huge challenge against a Chelsea team that will be determined to face the disappointment they felt after the draw with Manchester United against Everton. If Everton have to play like they did with Liverpool to get a point, who cares? It would allow them to build faith in Leicester’s fight before a crucial trip to Watford. Slip in and the confidence that is already fragile will be further destroyed. This is a fight they can not lose.
Micah Man of the Week I’m running out of superhumans for Jürgen Klopp. The news of his new contract came out of nowhere, but I’m not surprised that Liverpool did everything they could to make him expand. There will be many fans of other clubs who are upset at the thought of staying until 2026, because, let’s face it, Liverpool are hardly going to slip into a position where they will no longer be able to claim big trophies. I’m pretty sure their opponents would have thought, “Let’s go again.” I buzz about all this though. The same will happen if Pep Guardiola extends his stay at Manchester City: we want the best coaches in our league, along with the best players, and we have the privilege of watching some of the best football we have ever seen. Jürgen Klopp’s new deal with Liverpool is bad news for opponents, but good news for English football A few weeks ago I said that I wanted to see Diego Simeone one day come to the Premier League and it would be really fantastic if he came and joined Klopp, Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel all together. Liverpool have been fantastic this season and the work Klopp has done to revitalize it has been amazing. I’m glad he stays as long as he wants because that means we will see a game that goes from strength to strength.
There is still so much to play We are here on April 30th. We do not know who will be the champion, we do not know which team will finish fourth and we can not yet say who will be relegated. There are three weeks left and the fact that so many issues remain unresolved should not be forgotten – or taken for granted. If you look at all of Europe, so many titles have either been decided or the identity of the potential winner is known. It does not apply here. We crave competitive football and we like to watch games that matter. There will be so much to enjoy the next 21 days. Is Ronaldo the savior of United? Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 17th goal of the season in the Premier League on Thursday. It’s a great set, but let’s put things in perspective. Ronaldo’s strike in the second half secured a draw against Chelsea and that was the 14th point for which he was responsible. Without Ronaldo’s goals, United would have equaled Brighton in 11th place, just ahead of Brentford. We keep hearing about how he is not pushing and it was a problem for United. But let’s just ask this question: can you imagine what problems they would have without him? Cristiano Ronaldo receives a lot of criticism, but where would Manchester United be without him?