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I’ll start by reflecting on Pep Guardiola’s departure from Manchester City and the unbelievable job he’s done at that football club. In my opinion, there’s no question that he ranks alongside Sir Alex Ferguson as the best manager in Premier League history. He’s an incredible coach, and you cannot question how he develops players and makes them better.
It’s difficult to say where he’ll end up next, but I imagine he’ll have a bit of break and bide his time for the right job. I can see him going into international management, and hopefully it won’t be too long until he’s back in work.
Clinton Morrison was speaking on behalf of BetFinder, the new AI betting tool developed by Freebets.com.
Clinton Morrison: 'Ivan Toney's call-up was surprising - but he's been outstanding in Saudi'
Looking back on the last day of the Premier League season, and the biggest surprise was undoubtedly seeing Sunderland surge into a seventh-place finish. It’s an incredible achievement, and it’s hard to believe that Regis Le Bris was under pressure at times this season.
He’s got them into Europe in their first season in the Premier League, and I’m sure if you'd spoken to most Sunderland fans at the start of the season, they'd have just been happy to stay in the division. Le Bris should definitely be a contender for manager of the season, given what he’s achieved.
Looking ahead to the World Cup now, and the dust is starting to settle on Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the finals. I thought there were a few strange decisions, and one of the first that springs to mind is his call to leave out Morgan Gibbs-White. You want to pick players that are in form, and he certainly fits into that category. I also can’t believe Adam Wharton isn't in it either.
When you're going to places like North America in that heat, you want players who can manipulate the ball, and play passes into Harry Kane's feet. That’s why I was so surprised Wharton wasn't picked. Harry Maguire being left out too was a big call, and I don’t understand how you can leave out Trent Alexander-Arnold. His range of passing would have been a huge asset to this England team.
But one thing you have to realise about Tuchel is that he sticks with people who have done well for him previously. For example, I like Dan Burn as a character and as a player, but he shouldn't have gone ahead of Harry Maguire. And I'd even say someone like Ezri Konsa shouldn’t be in the squad ahead of Trent. That's just my honest opinion.
It's also disappointing that Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were left at home, because they're two of England's brightest attacking options. He's instead decided to go with a third striker, which surprised me. I don't think you need three strikers because Harry Kane plays every minute of every game. The only way another striker gets on the pitch is if England are chasing a game.
With that in mind, Ivan Toney’s call-up was very surprising. However, I cover a lot of Saudi games and he's been outstanding, scoring around 30 goals. Those players who have been left out will be devastated, but Tuchel is paid to make those big calls.
Looking ahead to tonight now, and there’s the small matter of the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal. If Arsenal take the lead, I think they will win it. They’ve shown how resilient they can be defensively to dig out results, and winning the Premier League will give them huge confidence going into the game.
But if PSG take the lead, it's a completely different game. Arsenal then have to come out and chase it, and PSG’s front three will just pick them off on the counter-attack. The key for Arsenal will be to score first, and I think they can do it.
If Arsenal do win, then he’ll do something which Arsene Wenger wasn’t able to do and win a Premier League-Champions League double. It would be an amazing achievement, but Wenger would still rank above Arteta in my eyes. You cannot forget what Wenger did when he arrived at Arsenal and how he changed that football club for the better.
But a win for Arteta would prove that patience can still yield results. The club’s board stuck with him during the bad times and believed in him. Whatever happens, they’ve achieved their main objective of winning the Premier League.
The strength of their squad has also come to the fore, as other players have come in and grabbed the opportunity with both hands when others were injured.
