It’s been an enthralling season in the Barclays Premier League with some memorable moments and forgettable ones too. The season ended with farewells to Premier League legends Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. There was the usual top four battle and relegation scrap which went right down to the wire with Hull, Burnley and QPR being the casualties of the drop. There were the usual managerial changes in the second half of the season as well. Chelsea were worthy winners, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United rounding off the top four. There were moments of magic and also moments where you bow down your head in disgrace; it has been typical English football.
I placed all teams in one class and with the teams set to go on break, I will hand them their report cards showing on how they fared this season.
PREMIER LEAGUE END OF SEASON REPORT CARD PART II
Crystal Palace – B
Crystal Palace were beneficiaries of Tony Pulis’ brilliance towards the end of the 2013-14 season as he steered them away from relegation. However, Pulis resigned on the eve of this season after falling out with Palace chairman Steve Parish. Pulis was replaced by Neil Warnock, who was axed and replaced by Alan Pardew after a poor run of results which saw Palace in the bottom three after Boxing Day. The appointment of the former Palace player gave the club a huge lift and spurred them on to a great run of results. Palace players grew in confidence and played free flowing attacking football with most defenses struggling to cope with pace of their attack. Pardew has done a fantastic job and proved his critics wrong. The Eagles only managed to pick up seventeen points in their first twenty games before the former Newcastle manager’s appointment, but thirty-one in his eighteen games in charge. Crystal Palace will look to build on from this season and will make a strong push next season but I think they may find it difficult to better what they’ve achieved this season.
Stoke City – B
Stoke City have moved on quite well since Pulis left the club. Mark Hughes has stamped his authority on the team and led the Staffordshire club to an impressive top ten finish. In his first season in charge, The Potters broke the record for the number of points gained in the league – a record they have broken again this season. Stoke ended the season on a high following their 6-1 thumping of Liverpool, marring Steven Gerrard’s last Premier League game. Stoke have gone about their business quietly, made very good signings and balanced the books accordingly. They are well stocked in every department, and despite the long term injury to arguably their best player Bojan Krkic, they have been able to press on. Stoke are now a household name in the Premier League and will look to build upon that next season. Mark Hughes is the right man for the job and Stoke should be in and around this position come the end of next season.
Swansea City– A
Swansea have never looked back since their promotion to the top flight. They have not been involved in the mess of a relegation battle since they were promoted which shows the amount of work being done at the club. Gary Monk, who was part of the squad last season, replaced Michael Laudrup last season and was given the job full-time. With lingering doubts of his capability to lead the club with no managerial experience, Monk has proved to be a success. The Swans began their season in spectacular fashion, picking a famous win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first game of the season. They also picked up impressive wins over Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool in the first part of the season. The return of Gylfi Sigurdsson to the Liberty Stadium proved to be one of the signings of the season as he provided ten assists and found the back of the net nine times over the course of the season. Despite losing Wilfried Bony to City in January, Swansea soldiered on with Bafetimbi Gomis finding his feet in the second half of the season. Swansea have enjoyed their best season in their history after their highest finish and picking up a record number of points (56). Not many teams have done the double over both Arsenal and Manchester United in a single season, but Monk and his team can be proud after achieving that feat. The Welsh club will be pushing for an Europa League spot next season and you cannot write them off in doing that.
Southampton – A
They lost their manager Mauricio Pochettino, lost their best defender Dejan Lovren, their best striker Rickie Lambert, their captain Adam Lallana and their most promising young player in Luke Shaw; Southampton were supposedly destined for the Championship after losing players that were instrumental in their impressive 2013-14 season. They have not only proved the whole world wrong, they have overachieved and given the big boys a run for their money. Ronald Koeman and his men have set a standard that they may struggle to match up to after their heroic performance this season. Southampton were strong this season and seemed to have no weakness. They had the second-best defensive record, conceding a mere 33 goals, with only champions Chelsea conceding fewer (32). After a blistering start to the season, there were doubts as to whether the Saints could go all the way and the St. Mary’s club have done exactly that. With a strong backline, a solid midfield and a dynamic attack, opposing teams found it difficult to break them down this season. They scored the most goals in a single game this season in their 8-0 victory over Sunderland and Sadio Mane’s three-minute hat-trick against Aston Villa rounded a successful and record-breaking season for Southampton. They have a lot of young players coming through and do not look like losing many of their players this time. Southampton fans will be expectant next season and I think Ronald Koeman and his men can deliver yet again.
Liverpool – D
A slip from Steven Gerrard and a Crystal Palace comeback stood between Liverpool and the Premier League title last season. Brendan Rodgers’ side, whose target was to secure a top four finish, punched above their weight last year and struggled to match those levels in this campaign. The Reds lost Luis Suarez to Barcelona and his replacement Mario Balotelli has failed to deliver for them – he ended the season with just one league goal. Daniel Sturridge was also a key factor in the Reds amazing run last season but has missed majority of this season’s action through injury. Liverpool failed to learn from Spurs experience after the North London club lost Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Andre Villas-Boas, manager at the time, brought in so many players with potential who have failed to settle. Balotelli has undoubted quality despite his negative attitude, Lazar Markovic is one of the best young prospects in Europe and Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren were impressive for Southampton. Nonetheless it is not easy making it at a big club, where the demands of the fans are high and every game is a must-win. The success of the 2013-14 season will give Rodgers some sort of job security, but Liverpool must have a good start next season if he is to remain manager at Anfield.
Spurs – B
To summarize Tottenham’s season, one name – Harry Kane. What a year it has been for the young lad. He started the season as Spurs fourth choice striker and ended the season with 31 goals in all competitions. Spurs did not have the best of starts to their season as Mauricio Pochettino was still getting used to his squad. They did struggle at the initial stages, but settled as the season wore on. The North London club had to combine Premier League football with the Thursday night European action yet again this season. They fared better this time round as Everton found it difficult to combine these two competitions. Pochettino entrusted first-team roles into many young players who seized the opportunity. Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason soon became the Argentine’s first-choice midfield pairing with free-scoring Harry Kane leading the attack. Spurs have had a good season and fans should be proud of what their team has achieved this season. Spurs have set the foundation for a fruitful campaign next season and with a summer clear-out, the North London club can rebuild and charge for a top four challenge next year. Spurs will have a good season next year, but the gulf in quality between them and the teams above them will make the difference yet again.
Manchester United – B
Enough has been said about how pathetic Manchester United were under David Moyes and their need to start afresh. Louis van Gaal came in to rebuild the club and the Dutch boss seems satisfied with the first phase of his project. LVG was given a seasonal target of a top four finished, which he achieved this season. However, the Red Devils were inconsistent this season. They failed to find their rhythm until March when they dominated Liverpool, Tottenham and Man City. A defeat to Chelsea was a reality check for United fans who were thinking of a title charge the following season. The defeat to the Blues began a run of three defeats, as the Red Devils lost to Everton and West Brom in their subsequent matches. Manchester United’s slow start can be attributed to the staggering 57 injuries they suffered in Louis van Gaal’s first four months into the season. They went on a good run after many of the players returned, with Michael Carrick particularly impressing. His initial absence in the team has cost the Reds dearly this year and should he have had more games under his belt, Manchester United could have been in a better position. We cannot review United’s season without mentioning David de Gea. The Spaniard has arguably been the best shot-stopper in Europe this season. His brilliance has won Manchester United a lot of points this season and they would have been worse off without him. With contract talks still on-going and Madrid expressing strong interest, De Gea has a tough decision to make this summer. United brought in Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao with the latter arriving at Old Trafford on loan. Di Maria showed why he cost the Reds so much in his early days, but his performances tailed off as the season progressed. United have confirmed they would not be taking the option to make Falcao’s loan move permanent after the Colombian struggled to find his feet. United will spend big this summer and with Memphis Depay already captured, United fans will be licking their lips to see who joins the train for next season’s title charge. Depending on who Manchester United bring in this summer, they could be title challengers but their position in the top four will not be under threat next year.
Arsenal – B
Arsenal had one of their worst starts to a Premier League season this year and despite a strong push in the second part of the season, it was not enough to catch champions Chelsea. The Gunners have had to contend with long term injuries to Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Debuchy and several first-team players. Their return to fitness coincided with Arsenal’s good run of form. Alexis Sanchez had a great debut season at the North London club and seemed to link up well with Santi Cazorla and Ozil in the run-in. Arsenal’s season has not ended yet as Aston Villa stand in their way of retaining the FA Cup. Considering the injuries Arsene Wenger has had to deal with, Arsenal fans won’t be too disappointed and an FA Cup win would round off a fairly good season for them. Arsenal will be in the market for a goalkeeper, a central defender and a defensive midfielder and should they get the right men, Arsenal can make a strong challenge for the title next season.
Manchester City – C
Despite finishing second, City have been disappointing this season. They ended 2014 in a rich vein of form and were equal on points with Chelsea at the turn of the year. The Citizens dropped off after some very poor performances which cost them. January was the defining moment in the title challenge and with City failing to impress, Mourinho’s men stole a march on their title rivals. Some of their players switched off this season and performed averagely. Vincent Kompany did not have the best of seasons, Pablo Zabaleta looked tired throughout the season and Fernandinho struggled in the midfield. Man City have themselves to blame for losing the title to Chelsea and will need to revamp the squad for next season. The Citizens had the oldest team in the league and perhaps lost their legs in the latter stages of the season. Sergio Aguero won the Golden Boot and Joe Hart picked up the Golden Glove, but there was nothing golden about their season. They were knocked out by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup and lost to Newcastle in the League Cup, losing both ties at home. City have underperformed in all competitions this season and will be eager to put things right next season. A top four finish is almost a sure thing and City will look to make a statement both domestically and in Europe next season.
Chelsea – A
Worthy winners of this year’s Premier League, Chelsea eased their way to the title. Favourites before the season began, Jose Mourinho and his charges dominated from day one. Chelsea did their business early and the Portuguese had his starting XI assembled before the league kicked-off. Chelsea played some beautiful football as opposing teams struggled to deal with the trickery, pace and movement of the Chelsea attack spearheaded by the bullish Diego Costa. PFA Player of The Year Eden Hazard was consistent with his performances as the blues charged to the title. Cesc Fabregas finished the season with 18 assists – the most in the division. Partnered by the ever-present Nemanja Matic, they provided cover for the defense and supported the attack when they had to. Chelsea’s team this season can be likened to a well-oiled machine running smoothly and efficiently. John Terry was solid for the Blues as he played every single minute of the league. Branislav Ivanovic popped up with some crucial goals – something he has been noted for in his Chelsea career. Roman Abramovich will be pleased with how his club performed this season after winning the League and Cup double. There were talks of Chelsea being boring, but I believe it’s more of their resilience and toughness to pick up points even when they do not play well. Either ways, come the end of the 90 minutes, the most important statistic is the final score line. The West London club’s season was not all rosy, some of the weaknesses of the Chelsea team was exposed in the final months of the season. Chelsea’s strikers suffered so many injuries this season and the Blues struggled without either Fabregas or Matic. If Chelsea want to retain the league next season, they’ll need some new faces because their title rivals will be stronger than they were this season.
