The 2016/2017 Premier League season has come to an end, and it's certainly been a season to remember, for both good and bad reasons. I'm going to run through every side and evaluate their season, grading them on their performance and state what I believe they can do to improve.
Chelsea - Final Position: 1st
Under the watchful eye of Italian Antonio Conte, the London club secured their 6th English league title and they did it in an impressive fashion. A switch to a wing back system following a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September is what pushed the eventual champions to find their rhythm and put up a fight to regain the trophy they last won in the season before last. With a revitalised Diego Costa and an in form Eden Hazard leading the line, as well as PFA player of the season N'Golo Kante anchoring the midfield, Chelsea always looked a threat. Along side a defence which kept more clean sheets then any other in the league this season, from back to front Chelsea were simply the best! It's hard to say what will make this side stronger, maybe the inclusion of a few more squad players to allow them to compete both domestically and in the Champions League next season. But as a whole, they've been close to perfect.
Final Grade: A+
Spurs - Final position: 2nd
Tottenham finished as the league's top scorers and also had the best defence. They also remained undefeated at home all season and had the leagues top goal scorer, Harry Kane, within their side. Their points tally of 86 would have been enough to win the title last season by 5 points, and it's hard to see how they didn't end the campaign as champions. Only the record breaking Chelsea side could hold the North London club back from winning their first Premier League title, throughout the season Mauricio Pochettino and his side surpassed expectations, which includes finishing ahead of closest rivals Arsenal for the first time in the Premier League era. Overall it was a great season for Spurs, and should they hit the ground running in their temporary home of Wembley as well as continuing to strengthen their squad in a similar vein to how they did last summer, they could potentially challenge for the title again next time around.
Final Grade: A
Manchester City - Final position: 3rd
With the squad City had at their disposal, as well as one of the world's best managers in Pep Guardiola at the helm, this season has to be seen as a failure for the blue half of Manchester. Despite a 3rd place finish and automatic qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League, ending the season with no silverware and failing to put up a serious challenge for the title, City have drastically fallen short. It's no all doom and gloom however, with young start Gabriel Jesus lighting up the Premier League since his debut, and Kevin De Bruyne continuing to prove how big of a mistake Chelsea made by letting him go, a few individuals had very successful seasons. That is however just what Man City are, individuals. To regain the title they need to be a team, a much more well balanced team compared to what we saw this year. A wing back system with now real wing backs within the squad, and a huge goal keeper dilemma are two big factors that lead to City struggling this season. Heading into next season the owners are going to have to dig into their incredibly deep pockets to help build the side Pep needs. An entirely new defence is required, a long with captain Vincent Kompany managing to remain fit. Also the goalkeeper debacle needs to be resolved in order to build a sustainable back line. Holding onto Aguero is also paramount in City's success, the Argentine is simply world class.
Final Grade: C-
Liverpool - Final position: 4th
Securing Champions League football on the final day rounded out the season perfectly for the 18 time English champions. Any Liverpool fan would have taken a 4th place finish if offered to them at the start of the season, however after being 2nd at Christmas and looking set for a title challenge, has it really been a successful season for the reds? Of course it has, England's most successful European club returning to the Champions League is massive, and after a hard couple of seasons it is an achievement that Jurgen Klopp and everyone involved in the club should be proud of. However this season could be seen as a huge missed opportunity for Liverpool after starting off the campaign so brightly, which includes out playing eventual champions Chelsea and coming away with a win at Stanford Bridge. The football being played was one of a fast paced style and most teams we're being blown away. The lack of a plan b ultimately cost Klopp's side, and when player of the season Sadio Mane went away for the African Cup of Nations everything started to collapse, seeing them drop from second to fifth by the end of January. The return of Mane saw Liverpool manage to push back into top four contention and then when injury struck for the Senegalese winger, the Brazilian Philippe Coutinho stepped up to the plate and re-found the form that he had shown at the start of the season. Overall, fourth place feels deserved. On the whole most Liverpool fans seem happy with this season, but what is essential for Liverpool if they are to continue to improve and push up the table is that they must bring in 4 or 5 squad players and players who can make an impact off of the bench. Far too many times this season the opposition has simply set up with a packed defence and stopped the reds from breaking them down, catching them on the counter attack. Also with the 'heavy metal football' Jurgen Klopp plays his players do commonly pick up injuries or fatigue, so a much bigger squad is essential.
Final Grade: B
Arsenal - Final position: 5th
For the first time since Wenger took over Arsenal back in the 1990's the Gunners failed to finish inside the top four. This is huge for the club as during a decade which has seen the club win only two pieces of silverware, a Champions League place felt like the season wasn't a failure. This season however can go down as nothing but. With the top players showing a poor attitude throughout and a group of individuals not putting in the performances that their huge contracts should justify, you can not blame the fans for being outraged at this campaign. However the fans are also part of the problem, by flying 'Wenger out' banners over matches all they're doing is making themselves look bad, disrespecting a true club legend and wasting their money. Alexis Sanchez's goals may have pushed Arsenal to within one point of the top four but one man is never enough over the course of a season and that was exactly the case this year. The club needs a huge overhaul if it is to reach the expectations the fans have, an entire new squad needs to be prepared, one with the fire and the passion that so many of the current crop don't seem to posses. Arsenal also simply need to hold onto Alexis. He may at times show a poor attitude but he is a world class player and one who could be the difference maker for Arsenal next season. Of course the big decision is Wenger in or Wenger out? In my opinion it doesn't matter anymore if the Frenchman stays or goes, the whole situation is such a farce that the club is going to suffer regardless of what happens, so the sooner an announcement is made, the better.
Final Grade: D+
Manchester United - Final position: 6th
£89 Million on Paul Pogba and United finished 6th. A club record 25 game undefeated streak and United finished 6th. Jose Mourinho in charge and United finished 6th. This season's league campaign can be seen as nothing but disastrous for Manchester United. At the started of the season the talk for the title was United vs City, and much like their cross city rivals United failed to deliver. When you look at the money was spent in the summer there is really no excuse as to how they failed to challenge for the title, and the fact that they finished 6th is incredible. A Europa league final win on the 24th May could still see the red half of Manchester qualify for the Champions league but that shouldn't hide the fact of how poor they've been in the league. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the only real stand out player this season, throughout the Swedish striker was sublime and showed the world that he really can do it everywhere. It's hard to think of what United need to do to improve for next season. After spending the money in 2016 it shows that spending doesn't guarantee success. Jose has had a year now to settle in and you imagine a performance like this next season would see the special one out of a job. I feel like, much like Arsenal, a major overhaul needs to take place. Far too many egos are apparent in this side and some players need to come in and show the passion that players of the past showed and which lead them to success.
Final Grade: D+
Everton - Final position: 7th
Ronald Koeman's side have had a pretty successful season this time around. A 7th place finish which may as well be titled as 'the best of the rest' with Everton finishing 15 points ahead of 8th. This is largely down to Belgian striker Lukaku who, up until the last couple of games, was the league's top goal scorers. Everton managed to make Goodison Park a fortress throughout, losing just two home leagues games all season and beating sides such as Manchester City and Arsenal on home turf. The major worry from this campaign however is one which is yet to come, the transfer window. His form has seen Lukaku linked with a lot of the world's top clubs, including Spanish champions Real Madrid and his former side Chelsea. Also home grown Ross Barkley looks set to leave, with his contract running down he has refused an extension and is yet to announce his future plans. You'd imagine Everton will receive £60million+ for the two men, and how they reinvest that money will be huge in deciding how next season works out.
Final Grade: B
Southampton - Final position: 8th
Teams from 8th down to 13th only had 2 points separating them and for most of them the same ruling applies, a position in mid table obscurity. Southampton have once again, had an acceptable season after offloading their top stars in the summer before. This has been common as of late with Claude Puel's best players leading them to a good league finish, before being signed by a bigger club for huge sums of money. After losing Sadio Mane to Liverpool last summer it was the same story, and it looks set to happen again, with centre back Vigin Van Dijk a target for both Liverpool and Chelsea. If Southampton can, once again, replace a top player successfully and maintain a lot of their spine I can see next season being more of the same.
Final Grade: C+
Bournemouth - Final position: 9th
Eddie Howe has once again proved how he is the ready made next England manager by leading minnows Bournemouth to a 9th place top flight finish, the highest finish in the clubs history. Now referring to Bournemouth as 'minnows' is not without context. With by far the smallest ground in the league and as a whole have one of the smallest fan bases, The Cherries have continued to exceed expectations given to them from when they gained promotion during 2015. Despite the small size of the club, Eddie Howe is not short on money to spend on transfers. Owner Maxim Demin has proven he is not against throwing money into the club and this alongside the TV money the club will own from this season, strengthening the sides first team, including a stand out star, the same role Jake Wilshere failed to fill this season, will go a long way to continuing the incredible growth of Bournemouth.
Final Grade: B+
West Brom - Final position: 10th
Tony Pulis's West Brom side are guilty of downing tools this season 100%. After a very impressive first half of the season which saw them reach 8th in the table, from the start of February until the final game of the season West Brom managed only one win and only 7 points. During games the players, who knew they were safe from relegation, seemed to already 'be on the beach' and let certain games simply pass them by. It's typical of Tony Pulis to lead a team to 40+ points but never over 50, and I can see it happening again next season. West Brom have a solid team both in attack and defence, they can afford to go through this summer without many major changes and still have a strong showing next season. The addition of a new goal scorer however should be top of the agenda should Pulis be looking to improve on this seasons 10th place finish, as West Brom ended the campaign as one of the leagues lowest scorers.
Final Grade: C-
West Ham - Final Position: 11th
This season was a weird one for West Ham. Last season was such a success that any finish below they heights they met last time out would be seen as a failure, despite out stretching expectations drastically last season. With the addition of playing in their new stadium during this campaign it was guaranteed to be an interesting year for West Ham. Sadly for the fans of the Hammers the side failed to settle in at home quickly and struggled early in the season, looking like relegation fodder throughout. With the sale of talisman Payet in January it looked as if West Ham where in for a very long end to the league season. However the team started to gel, picking up points at home, and with Payet out of the side everyone on the pitch appeared to be a part of a much more coherent squad, one without the huge ego the Frenchman developed. This season was one with huge potential that wasn't quite met, despite spending big in the summer of 2016. Hopefully for West Ham they will have the budget again to strengthen their squad, and much like plenty of other sides in mid table, a consistent goal scorer would go a long way to pushing West Ham to the heights they met last season.
Final Grade: C
Leicester City - Final Position: 12th
Last years champions split opinions this season in regards to how they dealt with the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. I've given my opinion on this matter a lot in the past but when you look at the facts, following the departure of the Italian Leicester managed to escape relegation comfortably and secured a mid table finish. However for the champions of England to be battling relegation is nothing short of disastrous, and a late flourish of form will do nothing to hide this fact. A successful run in Europe will go a long way for a lot of people to forget Leicester's poor attempt to defend their league title. Their defence which received rave reviews last time out was this season found out. Stars Vardy and Mahrez never even got close to the form they showed in Leicester's title winning season and it was incredibly obvious how much they missed Kante. For Leicester to push on next season they have to find their style. From Ranieri to Shakespeare, the way the champions have played this time around has changed far too often and they need a style in which the club can be based around. Whether it's the same style that won them the title or one based on possession football, the players they bring in have to be in aid of that.
Stoke City - Final Position: 13th
Stoke have became the masters of just about reaching the 40 point mark and staying in the Premier League. This season was no different, despite Mark Hughes not deploying the same philosophy of Tony Pulis during his time at the club, another very same season has gone by at the Britannia. They scored few goals but when compared to the sides around them they held a pretty solid defence. Much like many other sides the players appeared to be 'on the beach' once they were safe and there isn't much else to be said. The former Manchester United player Mark Hughes is trying desperately to pull stoke away from the defensive style of football which Pulis pushed in his time in charge and they now play a slightly more attractive game. If the Welshman is to progress Stoke then before the start of next season big moves will need to be made in order to continue to push that style.
Final Grade: C-
Crystal Palace: Final Position: 14th
When Big Sam took the palace job what happened was inevitable. The London team were struggling down the bottom of the table and looked to be in a relegation battle. And despite this battle still going on heading towards the league's climax, Big Sam did what he always does, get his team over the line. Wilfred Zaha was the star of the show for much of the season, particularly in the show victory away at Standford Bridge. Christian Benteke found his form at Selhurst Park and his goals played a big part in Palace staying up, as did Liverpool loanee defender Sahko in the second half of the season. However on the eve of 23rd May, the Crystal Palace manager has just resigned which means once again the club will go into the Premier League season under doubts about their future. It's not a question of signing which will dictate Palace's immediate future, it's whether or not they can get the right man in and set up a long term strategy for how to take the club forward.
Final Grade: C-
Swansea City: Final Position: 15th
When Paul Clement came in following Bob Bradley's poor time in charge it looked like the Premier League's only Welsh club was destined for the drop. During Clement's time in charge Swansea picked up the 8th most points in the time flight, a very impressive accomplishment which saw them survive the drop and revitalise both the club and the fans who were equally underwhelmed during the American Bradley's reign. What is no surprise is that Icelandic Gylfi Sigurdsson was the star man for Swansea and the one key factor which will dictate the Welsh sides season next time around is simple, keeping hold of Sigurdsson. He is one of the most under rated players in the league and it's only a matter of time before someone sees that.
Final Grade: D+
Burnley: Final Position: 16th
In a very similar vein to West Brom, Burnley's season fizzled out after a decent start. Burnley boasted the second best home form in the league coming into 2017, however their form at Turf Moor was not repeated on the road, where Burnley registered just one away win all season. Sean Dyche's side also had the worst goal scoring record in the league outside of the relegation zone, despite have the 2nd best defensive record in the bottom half, the Claret's stumbled to a 16th place finish and if the season had continued for another few games you could see them being dragged into the relegation zone. There is a very strong foundation at Burnley, if they can hold onto Micheal Keane in the summer, and talented young striker Andre Gray can fire for the entire season, there is no reason Burnley can't look for a top half finish in the 2017/2018 season.
Final Grade: D-
Watford: Final Position: 17th
The Hornets this season simply could not get a run of form going and that is what lead to them finishing just one place ahead of the relegation zone. Now former manager Walter Mazzarri came in under dubious circumstances and never managed to win over the fans which lead to, on the last game of the season, the fans chanting 'off off off' at their gaffer while his side were being humbled by Manchester City and went on to lose 5-0 at home. Watford started the season looking like an okay side, with Etienne Capous in particular staring. However too many of the previous seasons big players failed to perform, with captain Troy Deeney under performing from the start, which lead to him being dropped and a fall out with the manager. There is a lot for Watford to do if they are to stay up next season. A team commendatory needs to be former and whoever is appointed as the Hornets new boss needs to make this number 1 on his agenda. During the summer transfer window Watford need to focus on bringing in a few game changers to shake up the side, a side which has under performed drastically this season.
Final Grade: E+
Hull City - Final Position: 18th
At the start of the season if you told me Hull would go down I wouldn't have argued with you. No doubt the worst prepared team heading into this years Premier League, the side then led by Mike Phelan actually got off to a decent start, beating then reigning champions Leicester City on the opening day. Phelan only had the job in a caretaker capacity at the start of the season as well as a squad of only 14 fit players. However after their impressive start Phelan got the job on a permanent basis during October but from then it all went down hill which lead to him also being fired only three months after taking the job. The loss of top goal scorer Robert Snodgrass in January to West Ham was a massive blow, the Scottish international actually finished the season as Hull's top scorer despite leaving mid way through the campaign, demonstrating their lack of goals. Portuguese manager Marco Silva came in an attempted to save the club which, despite Silva's Hull ending the season with a very impressive home record, ultimately failed and Hull were relegated on match day 37. Marco looks set to take the managers job at Porto so Hull will once again have to look for a new man to take the helm heading into their season in the championship, and he has a big job on his hands. Should they manage to retain a lot of their current squad Hull should have enough to fight for promotion next season, however with the financial future of the club reportably struggling, I wouldn't be surprised if a number of players leave in the near future and Hull will have to rebuild before we see them back in the top flight.
Final Grade: F
Middlesborough - Final Position: 19th
Boro last season finally gained promotion back to the Premier League with a team based on a solid defence. This season they demonstrated that defence to great effect, and with the signing of former man City striker Negredo up front they looked set to consolidate their place in the league. However they finished as the lowest scoring team in the league and despite having the best defence in the bottom half this wasn't enough to keep them up. Boro weren't necessarily one of the worst sides in the league throughout the season, they just simply didn't score enough goals to stay up. A lack of an attacking desire or threat is what caused their relegation. Out of the three relegated sides I'd say Middlesborough have the best chance of coming straight back up, and if they can sort out their attack I don't see why we won't see them during the 2018/2019 Premier League season.
Final Grade: E-
Sunderland - Final Position: 20th
When your manager agrees his squad of players is 'pathetic' you know you never stood a chance. After staying up by the skin of their teeth last season, this year always looked like a unwinnable battle for the black cats. David Moyes was in charge after being fried from his last two jobs and he came into Sunderland during a very sensitive time, that was problem number one. Number two was that during both of the transfer windows in which Moyes was in charge, he failed to bring in anyone who would have an effect on the team. The Sunderland side was simply not good enough, but unlike last season where their manager believed in them and rallied the troops to keep them up, Moyes didn't even look like he wanted to try. The Scotsman seemed more occupied with threatening reported then fighting to keep his team up, the team which he said he thought had no chance of avoiding relegation from day one. Sunderland have averaged a home crowd of over 40,000 this season, incredible when you think just how poor they have been, the fans deserve better then what they've been given. While their arch rivals Newcastle won the Championship this season, Sunderland are the most likely side in years, in my opinion, to go through the divisions. If this is to be avoided big changes have to be made. On 22nd May 2017 Moyes resigned as manager to, i'm sure, the delight of the fans but top goal scorer Jermaine Defoe looks set to leave when his contract expires on July 1st. With young goal keeper Jordan Pickford the target of plenty of Premier League clubs it looks like Sunderland are going to lose plenty of their bigger players which may not be a bad thing seeing how poorly a lot of them have performed this season. It's hard to say what could prevent Sunderland from dropping into obscurity, but consistency is essential first of all. A manager who not only believes in the club but is willing to stick it out to ensure his side can grow and progress back to the Premier League.
Final Grade: F
It's been an interesting season, with plenty of sides under performing and just as money proving better then many of us thought they where. How will the remaining sides and those promoted from the EFL Championship get on next season? I'll write up my predictions closer to the time but for now we can just wait and see.
