At the end of the longest Premier League season on record, i is assessing all 20 teams: what went right, what went wrong, and what they need to do in the transfer window.
We’re starting with the relegated sides on Tuesday afternoon and working our way up to the top four on Thursday.
Here’s a schedule of what to expect (follow us on Facebook and Twitter so you don’t miss out):
- Tuesday PM: The Relegated – Bournemouth, Watford, Norwich
- Wednesday AM: The Survivors – Newcastle, Palace, Brighton, West Ham, Villa
- Wednesday PM: The Mid-Table – Sheff Utd, Burnley, Southampton, Everton
- Thursday AM: The European Contenders – Leicester, Spurs, Wolves, Arsenal
- Thursday PM: The Top Table: Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea
Of the four clubs who finished in positions 5th to 8th in the Premier League, perhaps only Wolves will be happy with their season.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side dismissed notions of “second season syndrome” with another strong top half finish and still have the closing stages of the Europa League to look forward to.
Leicester started brilliantly but their form tailed off alarmingly after Christmas and they missed out on Champions League football on the last day of the season.
The two north London clubs – Spurs and Arsenal – feel like teams in transition and have work to do if they are to become top four contenders again sooner rather than later.
5th: Leicester City
Season review – Asset-rich Foxes: A not-so-jolly Rodgers could not quite push his precocious side over the Champions League line. Jamie Vardy will tire eventually – surely? – and Ben Chilwell, James Maddison and Demarai Gray are just some of the Foxes talent already attracting admiring glances. Do not bet against another Brendan remoulding job, however…
Targets in:
1. Vedat Muriqi (Fenerbahce)
2. Ibrahima Diallo (Brest)
3. Ben White (Brighton)
Targets out:
1. Christian Fuchs
2. Marc Albrighton
3. Islam Slimani
6th: Tottenham
Season review – Function versus flair: Will Jose-ball ever be truly accepted? Despite eye-catching wins over Arsenal and Leicester and a top-six finish, memories of earlier abysmal football will be hard to forget. Poch’s time looked done in the autumn, Mourinho came in and, like it or lump it, his unattractive way is starting to get results.
Targets in:
1. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
2. Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
3. Pierre Emile Hojbjerg (Southampton)
Targets out:
1. Erik Lamela
2. Serge Aurier
3. Danny Rose
7th: Wolves
Season review – Beware brutal schedule: Twelve months in and their season is still not done. Nuno’s miracle men continue to wring every ounce of effort out of a limited squad. Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota will eye at least a quarter-final berth when the Europa League returns next month. How long can the fairy tale last before the vultures start circling?
Targets in:
1. Milot Rashica (Werder Bremen)
2. Crysencio Summerville (Feyenoord)
3. Ryan Manning (QPR)
Targets out:
1. Morgan Gibbs-White
2. Willy Boly
3. Ruben Vinagre
8th: Arsenal
Season review – Arteta on right track: Lowest league finish in 25 years betrays quiet satisfaction that Mikel Arteta’s young side are heading in the right direction. The pain of the Unai Emery episode still lingers, and keeping Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is key. The club’s enduring love affair with the FA Cup could yet provide an unexpected trinket for a club in rebuild mode.
Targets in:
1. Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid)
2. Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
3. Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco)
Targets out:
1. Mesut Özil
2. Sokratis
3. Shkodran Mustafi
Follow i sport on Facebook for the latest Premier League news, interviews and features
More on the Premier League
- Transfer window: 8 players who could be on the move this summer
- What the overturned Champions League ban means for Man City’s rivals
- Kevin Garside: Man City’s attention should now turn to Europe… with hope of becoming Liverpool 2019
- Leicester’s Morgan reveals PL plans on taking a knee for rest of the campaign and beyond
- From world-beater at Liverpool to a failure at Barça, Newcastle may be Coutinho’s only hope
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3ff9WjV
Post a Comment