Overall, there was plenty of satisfaction to be gleaned from the 30th Premier League season. After the near-total shutout of 2020/21 and the delayed end to 2019/20 due to COVID, stadia were full once more, bringing a feel of authenticity back to England’s top flight. We were also treated to several intriguing battles right up to the final day, with the title race, European places and relegation scrap all unresolved until Sunday’s conclusion.
It was also the season where VAR finally felt like it was accepted as part of the game rather than being an unwanted scourge. There were still some moments of controversy arising from the technology, but overall its use was far cleaner and more logical than in the two campaigns prior, when its misuse sparked unnecessary pandemonium on a weekly basis. That said, the standard of officiating at Premier League level still leaves a lot to be desired.
Just as in 2018/19, Manchester City and Liverpool slugged it out right to the last for domestic supremacy. In another replica of three years ago, Pep Guardiola’s team finished one point superior to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, with indisputably the two best sides in England pushing each other to their absolute limits in an enthralling chase to the finish line. The standards that they both set are simply incredible, and both should be admired for as long as they are performing at their peak.
Chelsea began the season with title aspirations and were in the hunt going into 2022 but ultimately tailed well away from the top two, instead left peering over their shoulders at the chasing pack before clinching third. London will have a second club in next season’s Champions League as Tottenham rallied under Antonio Conte to usurp arch-rivals Arsenal in the final weeks of the campaign. The Gunners are joined in the Europa League by Manchester United, for whom 2021/22 was an abject write-off despite the return of one Cristiano Ronaldo.
West Ham did remarkably well to finish seventh and secure another crack at Europe after their tremendous campaign on the continent this year. Brighton also exceeded expectations to secure a top-half finish, while any pre-season fears of a relegation scrap for Crystal Palace or Brentford proved well wide of the mark as both ended serenely in mid-table.
Newcastle began awfully before the takeover from PIF and subsequent appointment of Eddie Howe and January transfer splurge completely altered the course of their season. Leicester and Wolves both finished in the top half but had varying lulls which left their supporters disenchanted. Aston Villa and Southampton both underperformed, while Everton will look at their squad and wonder how they found themselves in a relegation scrap.
Norwich and Watford both sunk without trace and, at the risk of sounding cynical, will be no loss to the Premier League. Some might say the same about Burnley, but at least the Clarets died with their boots on. Their final-day despair was Leeds’ relief – I say relief rather than joy because the Whites ought to be aiming higher than being happy to finish 17th.
On the whole it was a far more satisfactory top-flight season than 2020/21, but the aforementioned positive of fans returning to stadia brought with it the unwanted spectre of pitch invasions and assaults on players and managers in the latter weeks of the campaign. It’s a worrying trend which has sadly seeped back into English football, coming after the unsavoury scenes outside Wembley prior to last summer’s Euro 2020 final.
Also, while the impact of COVID wasn’t as pronounced as in the previous two seasons, it was still felt during 2021/22, with a spate of postponements in December and January when the Omicron variant was rife throughout the UK. This in turn led to some fixture congestion in the spring months, along with complaints that some clubs were exploiting the situation to their apparent advantage.
As I typically do at this time of year, I give you my synopsis on every Premier League team, reflecting on whether their campaign has been good, bad or indifferent.
MANCHESTER CITY
For the fourth time in five years, it is Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who stood on the Premier League winners’ podium, but unlike last season, they were pushed all the way by a relentless Liverpool side. Not for the first time, it was during the winter months that they pressed home their superiority, rattling off 12 straight wins from November through to mid-January as they threatened to turn the title race into a procession once more. However, some unexpected stumbles, allied with Liverpool’s near-unflinching nature, led to their lead being gradually eroded, although from mid-December onward City never ended a gameweek off top spot.
£100m signing Jack Grealish didn’t make much of an impact, but he didn’t need to as the old reliables such as Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling, the masterful Ruben Dias and Phil Foden, and the incomparable Kevin De Bruyne inspired the Cityzens to their sixth Premier League title, a record bettered only by their crosstown rivals. It proved their only trophy of the season, with City missing out on the Carabao Cup for the first time since 2017 and suffering semi-final exits in the FA Cup and, most painfully, the Champions League. Nonetheless, to score 99 league goals and pip Liverpool by a point for the second time in four years means that the Etihad Stadium faithful will go into the summer happy.
Frighteningly, they’ve already added Erling Haaland to their ranks for next season. Provided that he stays injury-free, maybe City should be made to start the 2022/23 campaign on -10 points just to give other teams a chance!
High point: The dramatic final-day comeback against Aston Villa to clinch yet another league title
Low point: The heartbreaking Champions League semi-final defeat to Real Madrid
Pre-season prediction: 3rd
Season rating: 9/10
LIVERPOOL
Even in the immediate aftermath of falling short in the title race, many Liverpool fans were still philosophical enough to realise that having two trophies already on the board – and possibly the Champions League still to come – makes for a fantastic season.
Jurgen Klopp’s men had a point to prove after their title defence never got going in 2020/21, and in hindsight it was only a costly spell of five points from four games over the festive period which stopped them from reclaiming the Premier League crown. Some of the Reds’ football in the first half of the campaign was a joy to watch, most memorably in the 5-0 drubbing of Manchester United at Old Trafford, while the spring months were characterised by extraordinary levels of resolve to keep churning out wins while chasing down an unprecedented quadruple.
The four-trophy season won’t happen now, but with Klopp extending his contract to 2026 and Luis Diaz giving Liverpool another formidable presence in attack, this Reds team should continue to be among Britain and Europe’s finest for another few years. A second Champions League triumph since 2019 is well within their grasp.
High point: The annihilation of Man United at Old Trafford
Low point: The costly no-show in defeat to Leicester
Pre-season prediction: 4th
Season rating: 9.5/10
CHELSEA
From an outside perspective, it’s difficult to gauge how Chelsea fans will reflect on their team’s 2021/22 season. I had tipped them to be champions at the outset, and they were still well into the title race up to January, but from February onwards it seemed inevitable that their campaign would peter out with them finishing third.
While it was perhaps disappointing that a title challenge didn’t materialise, Thomas Tuchel’s Blues still added the Club World Cup to their cabinet and reached both domestic cup finals, only to lose both on penalties to Liverpool. Remarkably, they’ve now been beaten in the last three FA Cup deciders. Their Champions League defence was ended in the quarter-finals when, just as they seemed set to complete an astonishing comeback against Real Madrid, Karim Benzema came to the fore to take Carlo Ancelotti’s men through.
Their Premier League hopes ultimately foundered on some appalling home results, not least the 4-1 hammering by Brentford, while Romelu Lukaku proved an expensive misfit. The uncertainty arising from the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich and the club’s ownership situation also provided a worrying backdrop to the latter third of their season, but with Todd Boehly set to take over the reins, Chelsea might get the stability that they badly need ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, when they will hope to push Man City and Liverpool a bit harder.
High point: Lifting the Club World Cup in February
Low point: The abject home thrashing by Brentford
Pre-season prediction: 1st
Season rating: 7/10
TOTTENHAM
Top of the table after three games, Nuno Espirito Santo seemed to be settling in well at Tottenham, only for three subsequent thrashings by London rivals to kick-start a malaise which led to the former Wolves boss being sacked at Halloween. Unlike in the summer when they dithered over their managerial appointment, Antonio Conte was swiftly brought in at the start of November, and it proved the turning point of Spurs’ season.
The Italian is a proven operator in the Premier League and he quickly got a tune out of this under-performing Tottenham team, with Harry Kane getting back to his best form and some shrewd January acquisitions in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur. The star of the show, however, was Son Heung-min, who ended the season with a share of the Golden Boot thanks to his 23 goals.
Spurs will look back on two wins over Man City and two draws over Liverpool as being pivotal in them finishing fourth, which appeared a distant dream at the time of Nuno’s sacking. They will take extra pleasure from stealing past Arsenal near the finish line after landing a direct hit on their north London rivals, and with Conte at the helm and Champions League football to enjoy in 2022/23, optimism is abounding once more in N17.
High point: The 3-0 thumping of Arsenal which ultimately swung the top-four race their way
Low point: The meek surrender at home to Man Utd which cost Nuno his job
Pre-season prediction: 8th
Season rating: 7/10
ARSENAL
When Arsenal found themselves bottom of the Premier League after three games, with no points or goals and having already shipped nine goals, many were waiting for Mikel Arteta to become the first top-flight managerial casualty of 2021/22.
A month later, they surged past early-season leaders Tottenham in the table with an emphatic derby win which was inspired by young stars Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe. The Gunners showed that they were capable of turning on the style when at their best and faced with weak opposition, but positive results against fellow top-six teams were few and far between. Improved performances against the likes of Man City and Liverpool showed that they are on the right track under Arteta, but some of the mental failings which have dogged Arsenal in the post-Arsene Wenger era remain.
The Gunners will look back on two costly losing runs in early April and mid-May as the reason for them relinquishing what looked a very favourable position to finish fourth. They would have settled for challenging for the top four at the outset, but the reality is that all-too-familiar problems leave them without Champions League football for a sixth successive year. There has been improvement for sure, but there’ll also be a sense of regret among Arsenal fans, players and management.
High point: The emphatic home win over Spurs
Low point: The 5-0 hockeying by Man City which left them bottom of the table
Pre-season prediction: 6th
Season rating: 6.5/10
MANCHESTER UTD
Go back to last summer and Manchester United seemed to be in a very good place. They challenged for trophies in 2020/21, they appeared to have recruited well over the summer, they put five past Leeds on the opening day and, sensationally, they brought Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.
Let’s just say the feel-good factor didn’t last. Neither did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who got his P45 in November after a 4-1 thrashing at Watford left them eighth in the league. They had already shipped heavy defeats to Leicester and Liverpool by that stage, while they were hopelessly outclassed in both Manchester derbies. Ronaldo and David de Gea occasionally bailed them out with goalscoring salvos and belief-defying saves respectively, but as a team United were far less than the sum of their parts.
How many times over the last nine months have United fans been left cursing the likes of Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whose respective output was well short of the capabilities that they have previously shown. Ralf Rangnick’s tenure as interim manager was forgettable and regrettable, and rather than challenging for the title like some predicted (guilty as charged), they ultimately needed a final-day favour to avoid dropping into the Europa Conference League.
The appointment of Erik ten Hag as manager looks a very shrewd one, but there have been plenty of false dawns at Old Trafford ever since Alex Ferguson left, so not many of a Red Devils persuasion will be getting too carried away just yet – certainly not after a miserable campaign which saw them end sixth with an even goal difference.
High point: The 3-o win at Spurs showed how good this team could have been if they produced that kind of performance more often
Low point: No shortage of contenders here, but being walloped 5-0 at home by Liverpool will have stung badly
Pre-season prediction: 2nd
Season rating: 2/10
WEST HAM
It would have been understandable if West Ham’s domestic form tailed off given that they had to factor in European commitments as well, but in the end it was only the lack of squad depth which prevented David Moyes from replicating last season’s sixth-place finish.
In mid-December, the Irons were fourth in the table and serenely through to the knockout rounds of the Europa League. The January transfer window was a real missed opportunity, though, as the squad was not strengthened and injuries unsurprisingly mounted. In that context, to get to the last four of the Europa League, taking the scalps of Sevilla and Lyon along the way, was a remarkable feat, especially as they remained in top-six contention domestically as well.
They’ll have to make do with the Europa Conference League in 2022/23, but Moyes and his players can take huge pride in how they’ve performed over the last nine months. Jarrod Bowen was simply sensational in attack, while Declan Rice continues to build upon his tremendous displays at Euro 2020. Michail Antonio’s form ultimately tailed off towards the latter half of the season but he was lethal in the autumn, and if the Hammers can get in even one more striker who’ll all but guarantee double figures, they can absolutely push for the top six (or maybe more) again next time around.
High point: The unforgettable Europa League quarter-final win away to Lyon
Low point: They won, but their performance in the FA Cup clash against Kidderminster was atrocious
Pre-season prediction: 11th
Season rating: 8/10
LEICESTER
Like West Ham, Leicester also had the challenge of trying to balance domestic duties with a European run in 2021/22, which led to some brilliant nights for their fans but plenty of frustration along the way.
In the context of the Foxes making it all the way to the semi-finals in Europe after dropping into the Conference League, it was perhaps no surprise that their squad was hampered by injuries. The likes of Wesley Fofana and Jamie Vardy were badly missed at times, and Brendan Rodgers’ side had a brutal tendency to concede goals from set pieces. That left them well short of pushing for a third successive season of European football, although there were a few positives to take from 2021/22.
Along with West Ham, they were the only team to inflict a league defeat on Liverpool, while they also put Man United to the sword in devastating fashion in October. Meanwhile, in Vardy’s absence for large parts of the season, James Maddison took on the goalscoring responsibility, finishing the campaign with 18 from midfield. Inconsistency dogged Leicester over the last few months but an eighth-place finish, while down on the past two years, was ultimately a pleasing conclusion for the Foxes.
High point: A well-deserved win over Liverpool over the festive period
Low point: The emphatic surrender of their FA Cup crown in the 4-1 hammering by Nottingham Forest
Pre-season prediction: 5th
Season rating: 6/10
BRIGHTON
Brighton’s 2020/21 season was characterised by a chronic rate of goals scored to chances created, but while their 2021/22 tally of 42 league goals was far from breathtaking, they became far more economical in both penalty boxes to leave themselves ninth, by far their highest finish since promotion to the Premier League in 2017.
A flying start saw Graham Potter’s team win four of their first five games, but they then went three months without tasting victory, only a smattering of draws preventing them from being dragged into a relegation scrap. They began 2022 on a seven-match unbeaten run and then lost four in a row before ending the campaign with just one defeat in nine, and that was away to Man City.
The Seagulls left some of the big boys with bloody noses, too, drawing away to Liverpool and twice against Chelsea, while hammering Man United 4-0 at home earlier this month. In stark contrast to the Red Devils, Brighton’s is a slick team without any stars, their endeavour best summed up by the unsappable energy of players like Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma. With a surname like Potter, their manager will inevitably be the recipient of ‘magic’ puns whenever he does well, and he certainly deserves them after the splendid campaign that Brighton have had.
High point: Toying with Man United at the Amex
Low point: Getting thrashed 3-0 at home by Burnley
Pre-season prediction: 17th
Season rating: 7.5/10
WOLVES
When Bruno Lage lost his first three games in charge of Wolves, there may have been a temptation to label him a poor man’s Nuno Espirito Santo, but there was enough in those performances to suggest that the ex-Benfica boss would get a tune out of the squad at Molineux.
Four subsequent wins from five, including one at Aston Villa when they trailed 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining, had Wolves looking up the table, and by the start of December they were sixth, with Lage making the Old Gold one of the Premier League’s hardest defences to breach. The problems were at the other end, though, as they ended the campaign with a paltry 38 goals scored, a tally superior only to the three teams who were relegated.
Despite lacking a reliable scorer, Wolves were still in the frame for a European finish in early April. However, their campaign well and truly fizzled out, taking just two points from their final seven games, which included a home draw against already-relegated Norwich and thrashings by Brighton and Man City. Lage has the defence more or less right, but he won’t get away with such a paucity of goals next season.
High point: The incredible comeback to beat Aston Villa in October
Low point: Failing to beat Norwich at home
Pre-season prediction: 12th
Season rating: 6/10
NEWCASTLE
When the 2021/22 season began, the mood among Newcastle fans was sombre, to say the least. Months and months of takeover talk hadn’t led to any breakthrough, while the reviled Steve Bruce was failing to inspire anything other than extreme derision from the Toon Army.
On 7 October 2021, that all changed. The Saudi-backed PIF consortium ended the toxic regime of Mike Ashley’s ownership, with Bruce making way a few weeks later. In his place came Eddie Howe, and while it took the Magpies 15 games to post their first league win, the mood music around St James’ Park was far more upbeat.
To nobody’s surprise, they were the biggest spenders in the January transfer window, lashing out more than £90m on five new players. Bruno Guimaraes was an instant hit, while Matt Targett and Dan Burn also hit the ground running. Even with Callum Wilson injured for almost half the season and Chris Wood managing just two league goals in black and white, Newcastle became much harder to beat under Howe.
By the spring international break, the relegation fears of pre-Christmas were a distant memory, and only three teams took more points in the Premier League from January to May than Newcastle. The merits and morals of the club’s owners will continue to be questioned, but irrespective of that, Howe deserves huge credit for lifting the spirits of what had long been a disillusioned fan base. Few clubs will have greater optimism than the Magpies heading into the start of 2022/23.
High point: The day that PIF’s takeover was confirmed – few things have so drastically changed the mood around any Premier League club in 30 years
Low point: The 2-0 defeat at Arsenal which left them bottom at the end of November
Pre-season prediction: 16th
Season rating: 6.5/10
CRYSTAL PALACE
When Patrick Vieira was appointed as Roy Hodgson’s successor for his first Premier League managerial gig last July, there were plenty tipping Crystal Palace as candidates for relegation. It turns out that the Frenchman’s summer recruitment was more than satisfactory.
Conor Gallagher’s loan acquisition from Chelsea was one of the best coups in England over the last 12 months, as was the £8m swoop for Michael Olise. Along with Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi and the returning Eberechi Eze, they brought a youthful effervescence to the Eagles which was in stark contrast to the functional, ageing side under Hodgson.
Palace did have a tendency to give away costly late goals, doing so twice against Brighton and also away to Arsenal and at home to Chelsea. However, they were far more prolific than in previous campaigns, netting 50 league goals and even being the only team outside the top eight to finish with a positive goal difference – something that sixth-placed Man United cannot boast.
On the face of it, 12th is a finish in keeping with the Eagles’ positions under Hodgson, but Selhurst Park is a far more exciting place to watch football with Vieira in the dugout and some of the country’s best young talents on the pitch.
High point: The best performance was the 3-0 hammering of then-league leaders Tottenham
Low point: The home defeat to Aston Villa in November was a rare poor performance
Pre-season prediction: 13th
Season rating: 6/10
BRENTFORD
I didn’t think Brentford would have enough Premier League quality to stay up, but nor did I expect them to sink without trace. Let’s just say those in the latter category were proven horribly wrong by Thomas Frank and co.
It seemed fitting that the first Premier League game with a capacity crowd in attendance since March 2020 was the Bees’ opening night clash against Arsenal. The Brentford Community Stadium was absolutely rocking and the west Londoners fully deserved their 2-0 victory. Indeed, Frank’s side lost just one of their first seven games, enjoying the kind of bounce which previous Premier League debutants have experienced. As with the likes of Blackpool, Wigan and Hull in previous years, though, harsh reality set in over the winter.
A run of nine defeats in 11 between December and February had pulled them into a relegation battle, but Brentford then won five of their next six to leave them peering at the bottom three through a telescope by Easter. The January signing of Christian Eriksen was not only fantastic to see from a general point of view, but also proved a masterstroke as the Dane sprinkled plenty of stardust around this part of London. Satisfaction can also be gleaned from how Ivan Toney shot down any doubts as to whether he could carry his free-scoring Championship form into the Premier League. Unlike the two teams who came up with them a year ago, Brentford were a breath of fresh air in this league.
High point: The famous opening night win over Arsenal
Low point: Not too many genuine off-days, but the 4-1 hiding at Southampton was one
Pre-season prediction: 19th
Season rating: 7.5/10
ASTON VILLA
As in 2019, Aston Villa flashed the cash during the summer transfer window, lashing out on the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings as they seemed to be putting the £100m pocketed from the sale of Jack Grealish to good use.
By the start of November, Villa fans must have been wishing they could have the England playmaker back. Five successive defeats in the autumn cost Dean Smith his job, and in his place came Steven Gerrard for his first Premier League managerial gig. It seemed a gamble with Villa 15th at the time, but the former Liverpool captain won four of his first six games in charge.
Any fears of relegation were quickly banished, but pre-season predictions of a tilt at the European places were undermined by inconsistency, with Gerrard not mincing his words after abject defeats by the likes of Watford and Tottenham. While there were some gutsy displays against Man City and Liverpool, Villa ought to have done better than losing half of their 38 league games, especially with Philippe Coutinho filling the void left by Grealish.
High point: A superb victory at Old Trafford, followed closely by a brilliant performance as they thrashed Leeds at Elland Road
Low point: The pitiful defeat at Southampton which cost Smith his job
Pre-season prediction: 7th
Season rating: 4/10
SOUTHAMPTON
Southampton must be one of the most frustrating teams to support in the Premier League. When Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are good, they can be very good, as evidenced by excellent wins over the likes of West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal. They also drew twice with Man City for good measure.
The trouble is that, for every result like that, they tend to have two or three absolute shockers. How else do you explain fully-deserved defats at Norwich and Burnley, or at home to Watford? Also, their tendency to completely implode in some matches, which was a feature of the previous two seasons, was in evidence again during 2021/22, such as the 6-0 home drubbing by Chelsea and their final-day capitulation at Leicester.
James Ward-Prowse is one of the few Saints players to emerge from the campaign with his reputation enhanced. Armando Broja began the season wonderfully but his campaign tailed off, while Tino Livramento had been excelling prior to his injury. Too many players in red and white just didn’t perform consistently, though, and towards the end of the season, many supporters’ patience with Hasenhuttl had worn very thin. A less forgiving chairman would almost certainly have given him the chop by now.
High point: The come-from-behind win away to Tottenham
Low point: Losing at home to Watford
Pre-season prediction: 18th
Season rating: 4/10
EVERTON
Rafael Benitez’s appointment last summer went down like a fart in a spacesuit among Evertonians, so he must have afforded himself a wry smile after picking up 13 points from a possible 18 to begin the season, with the cut-price signings of Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray looking like masterstrokes.
By mid-January, Benitez got the bullet after a horrific defeat at Norwich, with Goodison Park thrashings by Watford and Liverpool also making his position untenable. Frank Lampard became the third ex-Chelsea boss in a row to take charge of the Toffees, after Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti, but there was no ‘new manager bounce’ for the 43-year-old. By the time he got his first win, against Newcastle on St Patrick’s Day, Everton were fully embroiled in a relegation battle.
A sequence of four wins out of six towards the end of the season spared the Toffees from the drop, but it also made you wonder how players like Jordan Pickford, Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Andre Gomes, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane could be so dreadful for so much of the campaign and then suddenly come to life with the trapdoor looming. If Everton fans had been told in September that they would be invading the pitch in celebration at finishing 16th in May, they’d have told you to stop trolling them. Their narrow escape from relegation shouldn’t detract from what a woeful, underachieving season it has been for the Toffees.
High point: Their dramatic comeback against Crystal Palace to secure their top-flight status
Low point: Being thrashed 5-2 at home by Watford
Pre-season prediction: 10th
Season rating: 2.5/10
LEEDS
Just as Liverpool’s title defence last season was decimated by long-term injuries to a plethora of key players, Leeds saw their 2021/22 campaign ravaged by lengthy enforced absences for the likes of Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips.
Those body blows certainly made the Whites’ task harder but don’t entirely explain why they were so feeble at their back, their tally of 79 goals conceded the second-worst in the league after rock-bottom Norwich. Marcelo Bielsa’s high-octane style had taken Leeds back into the Premier League and then to ninth place upon their return to the top flight, but the effects of playing at such intensity for several seasons caught up with them in 2021/22.
Nor did it help that, despite a plethora of transfer links, the Whites were comparatively inactive in the market, while some of those who were signed (Junior Firpo, Dan James) had more bad performances than good. Their plight was summed up best in February, when they shipped 20 goals in five matches (Man City and Liverpool let in 26 all season). A 4-0 hammering at home to Tottenham at the end of that month led to the controversial dismissal of Elland Road idol Bielsa and the subsequent appointment of Jesse Marsch.
Leeds remained inconsistent under the American and began the final day in the bottom three, but a dramatic win at Brentford kept them up at Burnley’s expense. The jubilant scenes from the travelling faithful that day were those of relief, and amid the euphoria, those fans would have realised deep down that it had been an endurance test of a season.
High point: Toss-up between the last-gasp wins at Wolves and Brentford
Low point: The unacceptable 4-0 surrender at home to Spurs at the end of Bielsa’s reign
Pre-season prediction: 9th
Season rating: 3/10
BURNLEY
Relegated at the first time of asking in 2009/10 and 2014/15, this time Burnley managed six seasons in the top flight before the chickens of a dangerously small and limited squad came home to roost.
Failure to win any of their first nine league games left the Clarets with a mountain to climb, and having been unable to put consecutive wins together until the end of April, they were always treading the fine line separating survival from relegation. They took £25m for their chief marksman Chris Wood in January and replaced him with what seemed a real coup in Wout Weghorst, but the giant Dutchman found goals hard to come by in his first few months in England.
The decision to sack Sean Dyche over Easter seemed a seismic shock, although caretaker boss Mike Jackson inspired a revival which left their fate in their own hands on the final day. Unfortunately, defeat at home to Newcastle gave Leeds the opportunity to consign them to the drop at a desolate Turf Moor. Although plenty of relegated teams in recent years have come straight back up, and Burnley themselves did it in 2016, the requirement to pay back a £65m loan from club owners ALK Capital leaves the Clarets with a worryingly uncertain future.
High point: A well-deserved win at home to Spurs
Low point: The final whistle against Newcastle as their fate was sealed
Pre-season prediction: 14th
Season rating: 3/10
WATFORD
Watford’s last Premier League campaign in 2019/20 saw them give three managers the chop, take a scattergun approach to recruitment and end the season suffering relegation.
Promoted at the first attempt, would they heed any of the lessons as the 2021/22 campaign dawned? Another summer spending blitz, and the sacking of Xisco Munoz (who took them up) in October suggested that the Pozzo family were drawing water from the same well of insanity. Claudio Ranieri was brought in to try and pull them from the mire but, just as with Fulham three years ago, the affable Italian lasted only a few months. Watford then turned to yet another veteran of Premier League dugouts, the septuagenarian Roy Hodgson, as their latest dip into the lucky bag of available managers.
There were occasional highlights, such as a 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United and 5-2 triumph at Everton, but the Hornets set an unwanted Premier League record of 11 consecutive home defeats. Such an abysmal run meant that relegation was inevitable, and with honourable exceptions in the form of prolific summer signing Emmanuel Dennis and experienced goalkeeper Ben Foster, their squad simply didn’t show enough quality or fight to come anywhere close to staying up.
Frankly, Watford’s approach to their latest top-flight season had the whiff of something which was scrawled together by the Pozzos on the back of a discarded cigarette box.
High point: Hammering Man Utd at Vicarage Road
Low point: Being thrashed at home by Norwich
Pre-season prediction: 20th
Season rating: 1.5/10
NORWICH
Norwich’s downfall upon their last promotion to the Premier League in 2019 was that they didn’t invest enough and relied too heavily on the squad which had strolled to Championship glory.
This time around, it was poor recruitment on top of a lack of existing quality which let them down. Two points from a possible 30 at the outset of the campaign saw Daniel Farke, who had twice taken the Canaries into the top flight, lose his job. In came Dean Smith, who had narrowly kept Aston Villa up in 2020, and two wins in November suggested that a corner may have been turned.
Instead, Norwich had two more wins to their name by mid-April, by which stage their fate was all but sealed. They were far too reliant on the goals of Teemu Pukki to try and save them, and when you look at some of the defensive atrocities that they committed, it was little wonder that they conceded the most goals of anyone in the league with a frightening 84, almost four times as many as they scored.
They cantered to the Championship title upon their last meek relegation from the Premier League. One hopes that, if the same happens again, the Canaries might actually be a bit streetwise when they’re next in the top flight.
High point: The only standout performance was their 3-0 win away to Watford
Low point: There were plenty, but the home defeat to an out-of-form Brentford in March was particularly appalling
Pre-season prediction: 15th
Season rating: 1/10
Goal of the season: A pulsating clash between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield was illuminated by Mohamed Salah’s stunning solo strike. A special moment from a special player.
Game of the season: Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool – the reverse fixture at Anfield (also 2-2) was equally as pulsating, but the Etihad Stadium encounter in April nicks it due to how high the stakes were for both teams by then. The quality on show on both days was several cuts above your typical Premier League fare.
Manager of the season: It says a lot about Jurgen Klopp’s ability to identify the right players and put out the right team that Liverpool have either won or gone to the wire in every competition in which they’ve played in 2021/22. Two trophies already in the bag, with the firm possibility of a third on Saturday night.
Player of the season: Kevin De Bruyne
Young player of the season: Phil Foden
Team of the season (4-3-3): Alisson – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ruben Dias, Virgil van Dijk, Joao Cancelo – Kevin De Bruyne, Fabinho, Bernardo Silva – Jarrod Bowen, Mohamed Salah, Heung-min Son
Honourable mentions: Jose Sa, David de Gea, Reece James, Cristian Romero, Andy Robertson, Marc Cucurella, Declan Rice, James Maddison, Thiago, Rodri, Conor Gallagher, Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dejan Kulusevski, Mason Mount, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz
Flops XI: Tim Krul – Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Michael Keane, Junior Firpo – Andre Gomes, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba – Rodrigo, Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford
Season highlights:
- The carnival atmosphere at Brentford’s stadium as they hosted Arsenal in the season opener, the first Premier League match with a full crowd in almost 30 months
- Danny Ings’ stunning overhead kick against Newcastle
- Andros Townsend’s rocket against Burnley
- Brentford’s refreshingly open (yet not kamikaze) approach in their first Premier League season
- Brentford’s very enthusiastic gravelly-voiced PA announcer
- Arsenal’s scintillating first half performance at home to Tottenham
- Both 2-2 draws between Liverpool and Man City
- Mohamed Salah’s delicious solo goals against Man City and Watford in October
- The extraordinary finish to Aston Villa 2-3 Wolves
- Liverpool’s 5-0 Old Trafford romp
- Crystal Palace conquering the Etihad Stadium again
- Rodri’s screamer against Everton (and Joao Cancelo’s beautiful assist in the same match)
- The bizarre snowstorm in which Leicester beat Watford in November
- Conor Gallagher’s delightful finish against Everton
- The madness of Man City 6-3 Leicester
- Mateo Kovacic’s superb volley against Liverpool (even I could appreciate the skill of that one)
- Mark Goldbridge’s tantrums after Man Utd lost or drew
- Philippe Coutinho returning to the Premier League
- Luis Diaz gracing the top flight
- Christian Eriksen back playing elite football again
- The barnstorming first half of the 3-3 draw between Aston Villa and Leeds
- The barnstorming finish to Tottenham’s last-gasp win at the Etihad
- Son Heung-min stepping out of Harry Kane’s shadow
- Brandon Williams hugging Eriksen upon realising it was him during an initial tiff between the two
- Roy Keane’s meltdown after Man United’s demolition at the Etihad
- The reaction to Andriy Yarmolenko’s winning goal against Aston Villa in the early weeks of the Russian war on Ukraine
- Leeds’ madcap comeback against Wolves
- Liverpool 4-0 Man United
- The six-goal thriller between Chelsea and Arsenal
- Kevin De Bruyne’s generational performance in Man City’s 5-1 win over Wolves
- The thrilling final day as so many key battles throughout the table went to the wire
What we could do without next time:
- Michail Antonio celebrating with a carboard cut-out of himself after scoring against Leicester
- The circus surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford
- Harvey Elliott breaking his ankle at Elland Road
- Vicente Guaita’s costly goal kick in stoppage time against Brighton
- The worrying trend of increased medical emergencies among supporters at stadia
- Norwich’s feeble seven-goal surrender at Chelsea
- Leicester’s chronic ability to defend set pieces
- The inept refereeing performance of Paul Tierney in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham
- COVID postponements
- Leicester fans mocking Merseyside poverty for the duration of their home win against Liverpool
- Watford’s complete refusal to concoct any sort of long-term thinking when a few results went against them
- Leicester throwing away a stoppage time lead in hara-kiri fashion to lose against Spurs
- The awful VAR decision to give Liverpool a penalty at Crystal Palace
- Leeds’ woeful display against Spurs which got Bielsa sacked
- The failure to punish Rodri for a clear handball in Man City’s 1-0 win at Everton
- Man Utd’s pathetic performance at the Etihad
- Southampton’s tendency to get absolutely walloped from time to time
- Ashley Westwood’s horrible injury against West Ham
- Jordan Pickford’s sneering. time-wasting nonsense at Anfield
- Everton’s contemptible theatrics and time-wasting at Anfield
- Leeds’ defensive horror show at Arsenal
- Norwich going down with a whimper
- Arsenal’s self-destruction away to Tottenham
- The unsavoury pitch invasions after Everton 3-2 Palace and Man City 3-2 Aston Villa
Man, Ball and All 