Athletic FC: Manchester City, Arsenal and a complex weekend. Plus: Messi’s crazy money

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Today, we slide into the weekend – and the conclusion of the Premier League – as Ilia Gruev…

On the road:

4️⃣ Manchester City, history and that number

👀 Messi’s astonishing salary

👋 What makes Klopp unique, ahead of his last game at Liverpool

🎥 Which club’s fans want to give up VAR?

History awaits you 🏆🏆🏆🏆

Manchester City’s amazing team and 115 charges – can the two be separated?

The Premier League is a simple division: 20 teams chase balls for 38 games and in the end Manchester City always wins.

There’s a sprinkling of danger this season with the title race going down to the final day, but this isn’t City’s first rodeo – and every time they’ve been in that scenario they’ve emerged victorious.

City are on match point again, but as Pep Guardiola pointed out this week, when trying to win Wimbledon, the final serve is often the hardest. However, an emphatic ace is expected given opponents West Ham have conceded 10 times in their last two away games.

Winning three successive titles has been achieved on just five occasions – City’s rivals United have done it twice – and no-one has ever won four in a row.

Why? It’s damn hard. There are disruptions in the dugout and on the field, “Hey, let’s try to win another cup,” which brings other distractions, plus other teams are getting better.

But City have the wealth, the players and Guardiola. That cocktail should see them make history on Sunday.

📺 Manchester City vs West Ham Sunday 11am ET / 4pm UK – NBC, Sky Sports Main Event

Admirable effort from Arsenal

Speaking of improving teams, Arsenal are on a seemingly continuous upward curve. If Mikel Arteta’s side take the title – they must win and hope City draw or lose – it would be an amazing achievement.

In the past five seasons, they have finished 8th, 8th, 5th, 2nd and (probably) 2nd. Not only have they recorded the most wins in a single campaign (27), but they have gone undefeated against all of the ‘Big Six’ teams ” and have won 15 of their last 17 games.

Arsenal’s consistency is admirable, writes Art de Roché. They are here to stay. But as Liverpool have found, being exceptional has often proved insufficient when City are involved.

📺 Arsenal vs Everton Sunday 11am ET / 4pm UK – USA Network, TNT Sports 1

The number that won’t go away

See that in the corner of the room? It is a big fat elephant.

City’s achievements are impressive, but we can’t ignore the 115 allegations of alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules (which they deny) over nine different seasons.

They have been referred to an independent regulatory commission, but the date on which the case will be heard remains unspecified. While the logistics of the final day are complicated and fascinating, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has decided not to present the trophy himself if City win it on Sunday.

It’s all very complicated, but is it possible – as Oliver Kay asks today – to separate Guardiola’s gloriously talented squad on the pitch and the charges off the pitch?

Messi’s crazy money 💰

It’s no surprise that Lionel Messi is a well-paid guy, but the figures revealed about the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner are still staggering.

The Inter Miami captain’s salary package of $20.4m (£16.1m) a year (guaranteed) is more than the combined compensation of 25 MLS rosters. The trade value is unquestionable, and importantly, he’s still making magic on the field for the Eastern Conference leaders.

The one from Athletic John Muller detailed why the 36-year-old is putting together the best individual season in MLS history. He certainly earns his dough.

I’m talking a good game 🗣️

Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton

“In the last 30-40 years, not many managers have changed a club like Jurgen. Louis van Gaal at Ajax, Johan Cruyff at Barca, Pep Guardiola at Barca, Arrigo Sacchi at Milan. Then for me, here Jurgen. — Pep Lijnders, assistant manager of Liverpool

Nine years. Eight trophies. Klopp is the man who made Liverpool believe.

He will manage his final game for his side this weekend and James Pearce spoke to staff and players about why he has been so successful.

NEWS: It’s not just Klopp who will be leaving this summer — Thiago and Joel Matip have also just announced their exits.

Around Athletic FC 🌎

📺 Bayer Leverkusen vs Augsburg, Saturday 9.30am ET 2.30pm UK, ESPN+, Sky Sports Arena

VAR II vote 🗳️

VAR…or VA-arrrghhh? That’s how The Athletic subscribers feel about the technology proving so divisive that Premier League clubs will vote on its future next month, as David Ornstein exclusively revealed.

After 51% of our subscribers voted to keep VAR yesterday, we asked: should your club vote to scrap it?

And fans in 15 of the PL’s 20 clubs voted overwhelmingly yes. Unsurprisingly, 90% of supporters at Wolves, the club that put forward the proposal, voted in favour. Interestingly, fans of three of the top four teams in the league voted mainly “no”. Take from that what you will.

Test question ❓

Who are the two missing players from the list below?

2010-11: Cristian Riveros; 2011-12: ??????; 2012-13: Urby Emanuelson; 2013-14: Chris David; 2014-15: Loic Remy; 2015-16: Chris Smalling; 2016-17: Michy Batshuayi; 2017-18: ??????

Blocked? We’ll reveal the answer on our website here in a few hours – and in Monday’s newsletter

(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)