The Premier League season comes to an end, and the fairy tale of Leicester concludes as well, with the possibility of even the romantic connection between Kane and Tottenham.
A fairy tale comes to its end
Only the relegation battle truly mattered in Matchday 38, and everyone held their breath to see if Everton or Leicester would survive. Leeds had no chance, as they had performed poorly throughout the year and couldn't do much against a Tottenham side lacking motivation but still superior in terms of skill.
Everton survives in a thrilling fashion thanks to Doucoure's goal against Bournemouth.
Since their encounter in Matchday 34, both Everton and Leicester knew they would be each other's main rivals in the relegation battle after a dramatic 2-2 draw between the two sides. However, after that match, Leicester was still ahead, while Everton has now surpassed them before Matchday 38, making the "Foxes" the ones taking the attacking risks in their clash against West Ham.
The fact that players like Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Iheanacho caused havoc in West Ham's defense for over an hour, leading Leicester to a 2-0 advantage, raises the question of why a team that once won the Premier League title and had the seventh-highest wage bill in the league finds themselves fighting relegation. This serves as evidence that in the Premier League, even one or two mistakes can push a team from a high position to the brink of despair.
Nevertheless, Everton had to overcome Bournemouth to survive, and they succeeded, thanks to Doucoure's valuable goal combined with the bravery of their defense during injury time. In reality, Everton is not much different from Leicester, but the fortunate aspect for Everton is that there are only three relegation spots available, and Leicester has been worse off. This gives "The Toffees" another year to rebuild or face a similar catastrophe.
Leicester City has shown resilience in the past, but the cycle of ups and downs may continue.
The fairy tale of Leicester seems to have come to an end, as they return to the Championship after a decade, with a mix of regret and the pinnacle of glory in 2016. The destinies of many individuals and organizations will change in different directions: Maddison and Barnes may find greener pastures at new clubs, while Brendan Rodgers, although not ending the season as the head coach, has suffered a significant loss of reputation for his inability to sustain long-term success, reminiscent of what happened at Liverpool.
Nevertheless, we must thank Leicester, as they have shown that anything magical can happen in the Premier League.
An impending divorce
The top six positions have been settled prior to the final round, so the teams in this group are merely fulfilling formalities and bidding farewell to their fans as players prepare to depart their respective clubs. Meanwhile, Manchester City and Manchester United are cautiously awaiting the FA Cup final. Among the top teams, Liverpool has slipped out of the top four, but the next season promises a resounding revolution. Brighton and Aston Villa, on the other hand, secure their spots in European competitions with great delight.
Kane concludes the season with a brace against Leeds, reaching the milestone of 30 goals, but it's still not enough to claim the Golden Boot.
Tottenham is the only team that ended the season with more joy than sadness. They defeated Leeds 4-1 to bid farewell to Leeds and secure an 8th-place finish, but it marks their first failure to qualify for European competition since Mauricio Pochettino's era. What's worse, every Spurs fan can sense that even worse things may happen in the summer, particularly concerning the future of Harry Kane.
Kane concludes the season with a stellar performance against Leeds, scoring two goals that even overshadowed Pedro Porro's spectacular strike. However, those two goals only bring Kane's tally to "just" 30 goals this season. Despite the Premier League having a 38-game season, there have been two instances where a player scored over 30 goals and still didn't win the Golden Boot, both times involving Kane. Five years ago, it was Salah who surpassed him, and now it's Haaland.
Maddison and Kane are two exceptional players who played for the most disappointing teams this season, and there are rumors of them potentially joining forces next season. But at Tottenham? It's not certain, especially with Kane. The contrast between Kane's quality and Tottenham's decline has never been clearer. Since the draw against Southampton on March 18th (the match that led to Antonio Conte's departure), Kane has scored 10 goals in 11 matches, but Tottenham only managed to secure 12 points and conceded 26 goals.
Kane has carried Tottenham for over half a decade, but I'm afraid that it's coming to an end soon.
Perhaps Kane's heart has grown cold, and he needs to do something to make up for his efforts in a deserving manner. If he were to join Manchester United and take up the coveted striker position that the "Red Devils" are currently pursuing, or move to the glamorous Madrid to succeed Karim Benzema at Real, it would be a sad but fitting conclusion to a "marriage" where one side tried to keep the fire alive while the other made countless mistakes and failed to appreciate their partner.
