If you’re eagerly waiting for Ted Lasso season 3, you’ve come to the right place. But if you haven’t finished the first two seasons yet, what are you waiting for?
Warning: Ted Lasso spoilers ahead!
Apple TV+ has recently announced that the Emmy Award-winning series, Ted Lasso, will be back for its third (and possibly its final) season this spring. And after over a year and a half since the release of season two, there is certainly a lot of anticipation brewing, especially now that AFC Richmond is back in the Premier League. So if you’re readying up the biscuits and tea (or hot brown water, should we say?) already, we’ve got you.
Here’s what you need to know about the Premier League before the first episode finally airs.
1. Richmond is back in the Premier League. How do they win?
When Richmond was relegated from the Premier League to the Championship at the end of season one, Ted Lasso boldly asserted that they would get themselves promoted back into the Premier League, come back, and win the whole thing. How are they supposed to do this?
A Premier League season lasts from August to May, and all the teams play each other twice — one match at home and one away. In total, a season has 380 matches among the 20 teams.
But unlike other sports leagues in the United States, such as the NBA, MLB, and NFL, the Premier League does not have playoffs. This makes every match that much more important because every team gets points from every result. In England’s top professional football league, a win results in three points, a draw gets a team one point, and a loss grants zero. And as the matchdays go on, the teams are ranked based on how many points they have. Ultimately, whichever team has the most points at the end of the 380 matches wins.
So in order for Richmond to win the Premier League, all they have to do is win as many games as possible. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, not exactly. The Premier League is known to be one of the most challenging football leagues to win in all of Europe, let alone the world. Richmond, as a small team, has a huge task ahead of them as they will have to face some of the giants in the football world.
2. Who are the best teams in the league?
Every season, the teams who top the table often change. But historically, these are some of the biggest teams in the Premier League.
Manchester United is the most successful team in the league with a rich history. They currently have the most total wins in their history, and with 20 league championships, they are the team with the most titles.
Liverpool, much like United, is also a very historic team. They rank second in league titles, holding 19. However, the team has been struggling in the ongoing season, as they are meddling around in the bottom of the top 10.
Manchester City is another huge team in the Premier League and was one of the few teams featured in the first season of Ted Lasso. City has some of the best players in the league and has dominated the last decade. They won five titles over the course of the last 10 years.
Arsenal currently sits at the top of the Premier League table, with Manchester City creeping behind them in second. Historically, Arsenal are also a winning team, with 13 titles so far, their last one from the 2003-04 season.
In 2021, the Premier League secured a $680,000 licensing deal with Apple TV+, meaning that the show has permission to feature the clubs in the league. With this, fans can likely expect that a number of big teams (and possibly even star players) will be hitting the screens.
We already know one new team that we’ll be seeing in season three: West Ham United.
3. What about West Ham United?
Ted Lasso season two ended on a huge cliffhanger. After Nate Shelley stormed out of the Dog Track, the former kitman and assistant coach for Richmond was seen working for a new team: West Ham United. For those who might not know, West Ham United F.C. is another football club in the Premier League.
The team has never won the league title, but they have three FA Cup trophies. Currently, they sit low on the table for the 2022-23 season. However, in Ted Lasso season three, they are expected to be a force on the pitch. With Rebecca’s ex-husband taking control of the team in the show, and with Nate coming into their coaching staff, it looks like West Ham is going to be Richmond’s chief rival in the league.
Just look at the season three teaser:
4. Has any team ever won the league straight after a promotion?
But the big question still is, can Richmond really win the title right after a promotion?
Historically, although there are only a few to name, teams have done it in the past — a long time ago. Tottenham Hotspur is one of those teams. In 1950, the Spurs won the second division of English football, promoting them to the first division. Back at the top, they won their first top-tier league championship in 1951.
Nottingham Forest is the last team to have done it. The team’s first and only League title was won in 1977, right after they had been promoted from the Second Division. So if these teams can do it — even despite the big-name teams and their rivals in West Ham — why can’t Richmond?
As Ted Lasso himself would say, “Believe.”
Banne image from Apple TV+ on Twitter.
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