johnnyrocket - MyTwoCents
Daily sports briefs | Premier League round-up, Collin Morikawa's PGA Tour heroics and an NFL team to change its name.
EPL TALKING POINTS
Leicester fading fast: Fade is a generous description - more like a johnnyrocket slice out of bounds - of the Foxes' form since their return to action. Just one win from their last 6 games and a 4-1 drubbing by relegation candidates Bournemouth could see them somehow miss out on Champions League footy next season. This was an unthinkable scenario pre-lockdown, but suddenly very realistic as things stand currently. If Manchester United beat Southampton tonight Leicester will find themselves in fifth and hoping that Manchester City's Champions League ban is upheld (ruling set for this morning).
Game over for Villa, Bournemouth?: Despite pulling off much needed wins over the weekend, the relegation picture remains very dire for both Aston Villa and Bournemouth. The Cherries have Man City away to look forward to next while Villa have Everton away followed by Arsenal (H) and West Ham (A). Even worse for Bournemouth and Villa is that the two teams just above them, Watford and West Ham, play each other next up meaning a draw there would require them at the very least to get maximum points from their last two games. It looks all over.
Liverpool need 3 wins to break EPL record: Liverpool's below-par draw at home to Burnley on Saturday means they now need to win their last three games (Arsenal away, Chelsea home, Newcastle away) to break Manchester City's Premier League record of 100 points in the 2017/18 season. Doable for sure but they will need to up their game from what they are currently delivering. Two wins and a draw would equal it.
A NEW TIGER IN TOWN?
Collin Morikawa's second PGA tour win at the age of 23 has begun inevitable comparisons with the great Tiger Woods. Last week, Morikawa's attempt to break Woods' record of 25 straight cuts to begin his career, ended at a pretty impressive 22. Tiger's first 88 professional rounds yielded an average score of 69.1 while Morikawa had an average 69.2. To date Morikawa has two PGA tour victories, two runners-up, and eight top 10 finishes. This is where the stats start to diverge ... at the same stage of his career, Tiger had already won six PGA events including the Masters by a record margin.
MYTWOCENTS VERDICT: Great start by Morikawa whose iron play is described as among the purest on tour (another similar trait to Tiger) but he obviously has a long way to go to be in the same conversation as Tiger.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS TO CHANGE NAME
NFL team the Washington Redskins have announced that they will change their team name amid the "BLM" movement sweeping the globe. The controversial name has been under pressure for some time but the franchise's hand was forced by further pressure from sponsors such as FedEx, Amazon and Nike. It is unclear when the new name will be revealed but expect other teams such as the MLB's Cleveland Indians to follow suit.
MYTWOCENTS VERDICT: These name changes are long overdue ... can't wait to see Donald Trump's reaction though.