2020/2021 SEASON ENCORE

Well, the season is officially over and it’s a case of another bites the dust. This season’s Premier League title challenge provided a lot of thrills and spills. I for one was certainly entertained. With over with over 5 teams enjoying a brief spot at the top of the summit, only one team emerged as clear front runners. Once Guardiola guided Manchester to the helm, it would take a considerable effort to knock them of their perch. Even Tottenham managed to hit the top of the league before plummeting within 24 hours (that’s got to be a record surely). Managerial casualties came as no surprise as Daniel Levy proved yet again to be ruthless by engineering the sacking of Jose Mourinho after Spurs’s season looked to be in tatters. The special one or rather the paid one, was relieved of his duties whilst Chelsea also got in on the act by sacking Frank Lampard at the turn of the year. Still, the action never ended and the beautiful game lives on.

CHAMPIONS

Was anyone surprised that Man City were crowned champions this season? After a nervy start to the campaign, the Citizens soon found their rhythm. Led by their captain De Bruyne and the likes of Foden, Sterling and Mahrez, Peps men came to claim it all. Their intention was clear from the offset as they competed and very nearly ended the season with what would have been an unprecedented quadruple trophy haul. However, they managed to win two out of four which is still a decent return although some may argue that for a team spending close to a billion pounds on players, the return on invested should be far greater.

As far as the premier league goes, City bagged their fifth title in a decade (now that is something special) much to the delight of their fans and supporters alike. Guardiola, ensured he found a suitable replacement for Kompany through the acquisition of Ruben Dias from Benfica. The Portugal international’s outstanding displays at centre back mirrored the impact and influence a certain Virgil van Dijk had after joining Liverpool. Dias’s presence brought some organisation to a City backline that had previously lacked leadership. Manchester City are good enough to win the league and be dominant in coming seasons but at this point I think only one trophy (currently occupying space in West London, Chelsea) will truly matter to them as they’ve won everything else. For now though, they can celebrate another successful season as they bid farewell to club legend Sergio Aguero.

TOP FOUR FINISH

With City being crowned champions, city rivals Manchester United were runners up (thanks largely to an impressive Bruno Fernandes) whilst Liverpool finished third and Chelsea finished fourth. Man United had a good run in the league and will be hoping to go one better next season. Perhaps investing in a top striker like a Kane or Haland might be the ticket back to the summit since the glory days of Ferguson (seeming prehistoric now hahaha!!). Liverpool meanwhile suffered injuries in key areas of the park which effectively dampened any hopes to mount a real title challenge. However, their supporters can rest assured that they will be back stronger with a full strength squad next season, not to mention some of the new signings they’ve made. As far as Chelsea goes, they crept into the top four on the final day of the season and a lot of people may say that the appointment of Tuchel as manager has been surely vindicated.

5th – 10th FINISH

Leicester ended the season in fifth place having spent the entire season in the top four region only to be pipped to the line on the last day of the season by Chelsea. I’m sure Brendan Rogers will feel his team deserved to be in the top four but no doubt all Leicester fans will be satisfied with their FA triumph. West Ham United finished sixth and were unlucky not to finish higher. If there was one team who truly showed quality and great entertainment, for me that would be West Ham (not gonna lie I was slightly hoping they didn’t qualify for the Champions League…..would be too embarrassing as a Spurs fan).

Speaking of the mighty Spurs, Tottenham managed to end the season in seventh as 29 year old interim manager Ryan Mason tried to rescue what was fast becoming a woeful season. Spurs will need to go back to the drawing board once again and may have to now contemplate without star striker Kane as the England international has voiced his wishes to move away from the club this summer. You cannot begrudge Kane from wanting to ply his trade elsewhere (we all know now that every player that leaves Spurs eventually go on to better things and even dare I say, win a trophy………Jermain Defoe being the latest addition alongside Trippier. Arsenal, Leeds (great season) and Everton make up the top 10 this season.

11th – 17th FINISH

Aston Villa finished eleventh this term after showing such great early promise but ended up fading away when it mattered most. Newcastle, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Brighton and Burnley make up the 11th to 17th positions this term. All teams will be happy that they’ll be in the league next year ready and waiting to compete again. Wolves, however will be without long standing manager Nuno Espirito Santo who has since left the club by mutual consent.

RELEGATION

We have to say goodbye to Fulham, West Brom and Sheffield United. I believe Fulham will gain automatic promotion and will be back again in the premier league. They’ll need to ensure that they win the amount of necessary games required to stay in the top flight. Time and time again, teams always leave it to the last handful of games to start performing. The question is, why not have the same approach from the very first day of the season? I think it will be a lot safer to take this approach going forward respectfully.

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RABONA MAGIC FROM LAMELA WINS GOAL OF THE SEASON BY A DISTANCE!!!!