This Premier League Season Kinda Sucked | OneFootball

I promise this isn’t all doom and gloom, but we’ll start with all the bad stuff first.

Predictable Relegation

It’s a given that the three recently promoted clubs have the greatest likelihood to fall, but this year the divide between Championship and Prem loomed larger than ever. Southampton was lucky to avoid out Derby-ing the league’s worst-ever points tally. Ipswich showed the strain of consecutive promotions, playing with lots of heart but bereft of consistency. Their home form In particular was abysmal. After cruising back into the top flight after an outstanding Championship run, Leicester lost their manager during the offseason. The club never recovered under Steve Cooper, and his replacement Ruud van Nistelrooy couldn’t stem the tide. On their way back down, Leicester broke a PL record by losing nine consecutive home matches without scoring a goal, and tied another by losing consecutive matches (home and away) without scoring.

To be fair, in the early months of the season Crystal Palace, Everton and Wolverhampton all looked to be drop candidates, but they duly turned around their campaigns.

Predictable Champion

Honestly, any year where the trophy is NOT lifted by City’s sky blue is a good one. But would it have been too much to inject some drama into the later fixtures? Liverpool had the title buttoned down so early, and for weeks prior it was all but a sure thing. Yes, we had an epic fracas to secure the remaining four lucrative Champions League spots, but how much fan investment is there really in a battle to finish fifth? City’s mid-season collapse offered delicious schadenfreude but took them out of serious title contention. Anyone not a Gooner knew Arsenal would stumble, as falling short is their one consistency season after season.

Distractions, Distractions

There were so many fits and starts to the league. There was the double whammy of two international breaks before November, derailing any possible team momentum. Then there was the additional fixture burden of European competition, which impacted seven clubs. The appeal of the Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues is obvious by the revenue they generate, but it’s also clear they can have a negative impact on league focus and performance. Would Manchester United and Tottenham have been better without the distraction of the Europa League? Maybe not, but they certainly would not have offered the tepid performances in the latter stages as they marched to the finals. This is a problem that will only get worse, as NINE clubs next year will be campaigning on the continent.

I will NOT be putting the FA Cup into the distraction category. Despite many pundits questioning the relevancy of this ancient competition, there’s something comforting about its epic scale, dreams of giant-killing greatness and ability to conjure moments of FA Cup magic. The fact that Crystal Palace, a club without any major trophy wins, could topple the mighty Manchester City in a Wembley final should quiet any haters out there.

Some Good Things from the Season

Bournemouth were simply joyful to watch. Full of high-energy attacking and desperate defending, they punched far above their weight and made a late run for a European spot, only to fall just short. Still, their 56 points earned this season shattered the previous club-record of 48 from last year. Their standout players Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez were poached by Real Madrid and Liverpool. Other teams that also broke previous points totals included Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest.

Speaking of Forest, you’d have to be a real cynic to not enjoy their resurrection/transformation this season. From 17th place last year, avoiding relegation on the final match day, they at one point sat in 2nd place for a number of weeks. They gave Liverpool their first defeat, at Anfield, sending shockwaves throughout the league that this side was the real deal. Though they stumbled towards the finish-line and missed a Champions League spot, they will be in the Conference League and should put a solid run in there.