As the Premier League comes to an end, the season normally ends with awards for players by various organisations and clubs to highlight their best player. In this post I will be doing a review on each team in the league and what I have thought of the season. I will also outline who I thought was their best player, young player of the year and team of the year
AFC Bournemouth: Their season began promising with several impressive results, albeit against teams you would expect them to beat. However, they were able to beat high profile teams such as Chelsea and Tottenham. But, a poor run after and around Christmas signalled their decline in the table and their season. Their stand out player this season would have to be Callum Wilson. He has been involved in 23 goals this year with 14 being being goals. His good form even resulted in rumours of a transfer to Chelsea in January, as well as an England call-up where he scored on his debut against the USA. It is impossible though to forget the other 2 of the famous front 3 at Bournemouth. These are Joshua King and Ryan Fraser Ryan Fraser. The 25 year old has played every single Premier League game for Bournemouth this season and has bee involved in 21 goals for them this year. Bournemouths main aim in the summer will be to try and keep their front 3 as well as their manager Eddie Howe, who has managed to lead the team to the Premier League from League 1. Position: 14th
Arsenal: They began the season with 2 difficult games against Manchester City and Chelsea, which they both lost, but managed to turn it around with a 14 game unbeaten run under their new manager Unai Emery. They have had a very average season in the Premier League after this, but have also shown that they may be one of the weaker of the top 6 teams and have finally moved into the shadow of Tottenham. However, they have positives else where. Mainly in the Europa League, where despite scares in games against Rennes and Bate Borisov, they managed to get to the final which is the speciality of their manager, but ended in a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea. Their aim for the summer would to try and sign a world class centre back as well as a playmaker who is more consistent than Mesut Ozil, and is able to provide for their duo of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Position: 5th
Brighton: They just scraped safety in the Premier League with results going their way, it looked as if their season was over and they were going down when they lost to relegation rivals Cardiff at home, but due Cardiff’s results they survived. Their season can mainly be highlighted with their win against Manchester United as well as drawing with Arsenal. Their season also involved a run in the FA Cup to the semi-final, where they lost heroically to Manchester City 1-0. The team have relied heavily on the goals of 35 year old Glenn Murray, as well as the defensive skills of Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk. This prompted Lewis Dunk to get a call-up to the English National Team as well. The teams aim next season will be to see if they can improve under Graham Potter, after the sacking of Chris Houghton, as well as trying to stop Lewis Dunk from potentially leaving for a bigger team. They will also need to look for a more prolific striker due to the age of Glenn Murray, and they heavy reliance on his 12 goals this season. Position: 17th
Burnley: The fact that they were in qualifiers for the Europa League early on in the season heavily affected them. It affected them so much that it looked as if relegation was on the cards for them, however they were able to changed the season around and finish comfortably above the relegation zone. The team has not really changed much over the previous seasons, more squad depth may be required and they should may see about a cup run to try and give some excitement to the season for their fans. But, the emergence of Dwight McNeil is promising for Burnley, but it will only be some time before he leaves for a bigger club. Position: 15th
Cardiff City: They would of stayed up if poor decisions mainly against Chelsea and missed penalty calls were given. But, it was seen from the start that the team they had built over the summer were not capable of fighting in the Premier League. Their highlights for everyone was Neil Warnock and his antics with the officials and on TV throughout the season, as well as a last day win against Manchester United. Now that they are back in the Championship they should aim to keep vital players that are capable of playing at a higher level, mainly Victor Camarasa. Position: 18th
Chelsea: The fact that they managed to get into 3rd and qualify for the Champions League is a miracle. This season highlighted their reliance on Eden Hazard and with speculation that he is going to leave for Real Madrid in the summer they are going to struggle a lot next season. Their struggle is exacerbated by their transfer ban for the next 2 windows. If Hazard does leave in the summer then it will be an opportunity for Callum Hudson-Odoi it take his place in the team. But he also wants to leave after Bayern Munich shown interest in him. This highlights the time for the young players out on loan to step up and play for the first team such as Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Mason Mount and many others. Their season is mainly highlighted by their run to the Europa League final, which they won 4-1 through an Eden Hazard masterclass, and the League Cup final where they lost on penalties to Manchester City. Their aim for next season is to see whether they can keep Hazard and they also need to decide if they are going to keep Marucio Sarri or get rid of him. But the principle of Sarriball takes time to become effective. Position: 3rd
Crystal Palace: An average season for Palace as it could have been a lot better than it was as they showed signs of promise in games. Their season was mainly highlighted by wins against Arsenal and Manchester City, with a goal of the season contender in Andros Townsend. Their seasons standout performer was by far Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Who during the whole season consistently performed throughout and outshined a mediocre team. Their aim for the next season would be to really keep Wan-Bissaka as long as possible as well as Wilfred Zaha, as he is their main attacking threat. If they fail to do this and also fail to replace them adequately then Palace will probably decline this season. Position: 12th
Everton: This season has been a typical season for Everton, but instead of them finishing 7th like they normally do, they infact have been challenged by Watford, Leicester and Wolves for this position. There was speculation about how they would play considering they appointed Marco Silva from Watford at the beginning of the season, but apart from that their season has been pretty mediocre for them. Their standout performers this season have been Lucas Digne, Richarlison as well as Gylfi Sigurdsson. Position: 8th
Fulham: This season looked promising for Fulham, this was mainly due to the heavy investing in the summer in their plea to try and stay up and even compete higher up the table, however their plan back fired. This can be argued that the £100m they spent on players in the summer ruined the dynamics of the squad, however, it can also be seen that the investment in the squad was done by the chairman and their director of football Tony Kahn, instead of the manager at the time Slavisa Jokanovic. This is another problem that happened at Fulham. Having 3 managers in the season ruined the team as well. From Slavisa Jokanovic to Claudio Ranieri and Scott Parker, who was recently named permanent manager. There have not been any big highlights in Fulham’s season, but their aim should be to try and not suffer from the financial issues due to the backlash of their previous summer. Their aim for the summer should to also keep hold of Ryan Sessengon, but this is unlikely to happen, as he showed loyalty to Fulham last summer, it will not likely happen again. Position: 19th
Huddersfield: There is not really a lot to say when you equalled the worst ever Premier League season. Even though they Jan Siewart he was highly ineffective, and there were even reports of tensions between him and some of the players, he will probably not be there when the Championship starts again. Position: 20th
Leicester City: Ever since their Premier League winning season and their run to the Champions League Quarter-finals, the expectations of Leicester have been big. However, this is the beginning of Leicester challenging for 6th as well as 7th from now on. They appointed a decent manager in Brendan Rodgers from Celtic mid way through the season, which resulted in an upturn of their form. Their team contain many stand out players in James Maddison, Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, Wilfried Ndidi, Ricardo Pereira, Youri Telemans, Harvey Barnes, Demarai Gray and Jamie Vardy. All the players bar Vardy are young and can form part of the new Leicester, as long as they can keep their players, with larger teams in the Premier League monitoring some of the players mentioned. Next season they should aim to push for 6th as they are perfectly capable of doing it, and it is seen that they can compete with the top 6. With results against Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and a draw against Liverpool. In Brendan Rodgers, they have appointed the right manager to lead the team to new horizons, but they should still aim for a cup run, as they could easily make the semi-finals if they tryed in competitions. Position 9th
Liverpool: First of all I would like to say sorry if there is any bias within the next 2 teams due to me supporting Liverpool. They now hold the unlucky record being the highest scoring runners up in the entire Premier League with 97 points. 97 points would of won the league in all but 2 of the Premier League season, the other 2 being won last year and this season both by Manchester City. Liverpool had the all but perfect season, with the only thing missing was winning the league. They only lost once, they had the best defensive record in the league, Alisson won the golden glove, Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane shared the golden boot on 22 goals, Trent Alexander-Arnold got the most assists for a full-back in a season and most importantly Virgil Van Dijk won PFA player of the year as well as Premier League player of the year. The only defeat was against Manchester City, in a game where a Liverpool goal did not cross the line by 11mm. However, apart from this disappointment there was the highlight of their Champions League run, which as of writing is not over yet as they are in the final, this run has been one of the most memorable in the history of Liverpool, and so far has been topped off by their comeback against Barcelona after being 3-0 down going into the 2nd leg, which they overturned and won 4-3. During the run-in to the title, players stepped up when they needed to, such as Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson and Divock Origi who all played or scored crucial goals in the run to the final day. The only aim for Liverpool next season is to go again and try and win the league. This season showed that this is the beginning of something for Liverpool, their squad is young, and all their important players are tied down on long term contracts so they are in for the long run. The only signings I believe Liverpool need to make in the summer is to do what Manchester City have done and improve their squad depth. They need a back up left-back for Andrew Robertson, an extra Centre Back, who can properly fill for Virgil Van Dijk if he gets injured, a attacking midfielder who can come off the bench and impact games, as well as a player who can replace Roberto Firmino if needed. There have been rumours of several players such as Matthijs De Ligt and Hakim Ziyech both from Ajax, Houssem Aouar and Memphis Depay from Lyon, as well as Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and the transfer that is still unknown in Nabil Fekir from Lyon. This season was amazing to watch and experience even if the result wasn’t what was wanted in the end, but the title race next season will definitely be between Liverpool and Manchester City will also a possible challenge from Tottenham Hotspur. Position 2nd
Manchester City: They won the first ever domestic treble. Which can be argued as not being as impressive due to the teams that they played in their run to this achievement. There are plenty of stand out players in the City team. With this season highlighting the brilliance of Bernado Silva, Ederson, Sergio Aguero and most importantly the PFA Young Player of the year Raheem Sterling. There real isn’t a lot to say about this team as they have done everything perfectly. The aim for next season thou is to see if they can replace the leadership skills of Vincent Kompany, while also aiming to win the Champions League, as if they do get a Champions League ban for breaching FFP, then I believe that Pep Guardiola will leave if they fail to win it next year as well. Position: 1st
Manchester United: There is a problem brewing at Old Trafford. This problem has tainted the dressing room and the team for the majority of the season. This problem… a lack of a leader. This has meant that there is no one to carry them over the line in defeats or losses that they could of won. The change of manager from Jose Mourinho to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemed to be successful for 11 games, then United went straight back to where they were before the change in manager. This poor form has left United having to play in the Europa League once again. There WILL be a clear out at Old Trafford this summer, with rumours of a host of players leaving such as David De Gea, Phil Jones, and many more. The club have also been linked to every player under the sun from Matthijs De Ligt and Joao Felix from Benfica. Keep an eye out for Manchester United this summer with their potential big moves in and out of the club. Position: 6th
Newcastle: The things Rafa Benitez has done with the club under the ownership of Mike Ashley is amazing, from bringing them back into the Premier League from Championship while also managing to carry the team to consecutive 13th placed finishes and also breaking their transfer recored this January with the signing of Miguel Almiron for £21.6 million. He helped to improve the team even more, but stand out players this year consist of Fabian Schar who when in the team has stopped them conceding more than 1.0 goals per game, as well as the performances of Sean Longstaff, and the goalscoring expertises of Saloman Rondon and Ayoze Perez. The reports of the planned takeover by Sheikh Khaled is a good sign for the club who can move into a new dawn, but once again this can possible ruin the game even more with the input of even more money. But is is unknown with how he can run a club and may be unlike his relative Sheikh Mansour. Position: 13th
Southampton: They have been decline since they were known as the ‘selling club’ with the sales of major players such as Sadio Mane, Virgil Van Dijk, Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana. The change of manager mid season to Ralph Hasenhuttl has been somewhat successful and he possible saved them from a relegation dog fight. The teams stand out players have been Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse, who both managed to earn England call-ups this season. Apart from that there is really much to say about them. Next season, they should aim to finish higher up the table and try to reach the heights they did of a few years ago. Position: 16th
Tottenham: The season looked promising at the start when they were part of a 3 way title race with Liverpool and Man City, but injuries and the lack of signings caught up to them, and resulted in them slowly falling off in the league and ended up finishing 4th. But, there season highlights have not been in the Premier Legaue, but have in fact been in the Champions League. They have played 2 Champions League classics, against Manchester City, in a 4-4 win on away goals, where they only got through due to a correct VAR decision, while they also played another classic against Ajax in the semi-finals where they came back from 3 goals down to score in the 90th minute to go through on away goals once again, to make it to their first ever Champions League final. There stand out player has normally been Harry Kane, but due to several injuries this year, other players have stood out. Mainly the pace and goalscoring ability of Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura. Next season, if they make the right transfer signings, I see Tottenham being able to once again compete for the league as their fatigue and injures will not be as greatly affected. Position: 4th
Watford: There season started off impressive, but they then started to focus on the FA Cup, which effected their league position as they finished 11th. This season could of not started any worse with the movement of Marco Silva and Richarlison to Everton. But, the appointment of Javi Garcia proved to be successful. There FA Cup run was highlighted by the comeback win against a strong Wolves side, but their season ended in heartbreak with a 6-0 drubbing by Manchester City. Roberto Pereyra always seems to stand out at the beginning of the season but always seems to fall off as the season progresses. But, Gerard Deulofeu has turned up when it matters such as the in the FA Cup semi-final. Next season, as they have the capability, they should be aiming to finish in a Europa League position, or try and aim for another cup run. Position: 11th
West Ham: They have had a pretty average season as they finish dead in the middle of the table. They, like Watford, have the capability to push to Europe which they should be doing next season. West Ham also need to make the right signings to allow the team to gel together more easily, as at the beginning of the season they struggled due to the £94.8 million in the summer. There squad has also been quiet average, with the stand out performances of Lukasz Fabianski and Felipe Anderson. Position: 10th
Wolves: Last but certainly not least, the surprise team of the season. Due to their heavy backing by a Chinese Consortium, they have been able to progress from Championship winners to finishing 7th in the Premier League, and due to the result of the FA Cup final, they have been entered into the Europa League qualification stage. I believe that they would be able to cope with the extra demand as they have enough money to fill up their squad depth to cope with the extra games in the season. Their manager, Nuno Espirito Santos has been a revelation, as he has installed a counter-attacking style which has been effective against the top 6 teams above them, however not as effective on the teams below them. They also managed to get to the FA Cup semi-final, however struggled to hold on to their 2-0 lead against Watford. Wolves have had several stand out players this season, but the more special ones have been Raul Jimenez with 13 goals, Joao Moutinho as well as Matt Doherty. If the team make enough good signings in the summer, and the other teams in the top 6 don’t, it is possible that they can push into the top 6.
Team of the season: 3-4-3 Formation
GK: Alisson: Won the Golden Glove and was part of the best defence in the league
CB: Virgil Van Dijk: PFA player of the year and Premier league Player of the year. He has been crucial the reason why Liverpool have had the best defence in the league.
CB: Andrew Robertson: Provided 11 assists and part of the best defence in the league
CB: Trent Alexander Arnold: Provided 12 assists which was the most of any Full-Back in the Premier League. He was also part of the best defence in the league.
LM: Raheem Sterling: Was a stand out on the stand against Racism when it rose its ugly head in the Premier League once again. He also had a decent season with 17 goals this season. Which is a massive improvement from his 10 goals only 2 years ago.
CM: Christian Eriksen: Helped to keep Tottenham in the title race along with Heung-Min Son when Harry Kane was out injured. This has mainly been through his 12 assists.
CM: Bernado Silva: Has improved amazingly under Pep Guardiola, his work rate was showcased in the 2-1 win over Liverpool where he was by far the best player. He also ended the season with 14 contributions.
RM: Mohammed Salah: Had a small goal drought mid way through the season, however, managed to turn in around in the crucial run to the end of the season, which has been shown in his sharing of the Golden Boot with 22 goals.
LW: Sadio Mane: He has improved considerably under Jurgen Klopp. He has become more of a crucial finisher, and this has been seen with his sharing of the Golden Boot.
ST: Raul Jimenez: Was part of the crucial counter-attacking play of Wolves as he formed a crucial partnership with Diogo Jota as they complimented each other nicely. He managed to secure himself a permanent move to Wolves from Benfica. While also establishing himself as a poacher.
RW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: One of the highlights of Arsenals mediocre season, he showed what he has been able to do in one full season in the Premier League. As he was involved in the 3 way share of the boot. This share showcased the talent of Africa.
Honourable Mentions (Substitutes): Matt Doherty, Aymeric Laporte, Diogo Jota, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Ederson, Heung-Min Son, Eden Hazard and Ryan Fraser
Player of the Year: Virgil van-Dijk
Young Player of the year: Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Due to the way the PFA works players who are under 23 at the start of the season are included, which is why Raheem Sterling won it. But Aaron Wan-Bissaka deserves my award due to his stand out displaces in the the mediocre Crystal Palace side. This has seen him become one of the most effective players in the Premier League with stats such as 61 successful dribbles, as well as leading the league in most successful tackles. He is a talented player with a senior England call-up soon arriving for him.
Jack's football analysis 