The Premier League has seen some rather unusual scheduling in recent years, between the 2019/20 campaign which took nearly a full year from start to finish and the truncated following season which was wedged into eight months. Even 2021/22, which ran along the traditional August-May lines, had a pile-up due to a spate of COVID-related postponements, and the most recent top-flight campaign had a schedule quite like none other in the history of English football.
A full round of games was culled in September after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with some matches the following weekend also being put back. Then, from mid-November through to Christmas, the Premier League stepped aside so that the World Cup in Qatar – capped off by a final for the ages – could run its course. In all likelihood, we’ll never again witness a top-flight English season with a schedule quite like this one.
What certainly wasn’t unique, though, was the presence of Pep Gaurdiola’s Manchester City on the winners’ pantheon yet again. Arsenal led from the front for much of the campaign but faltered with the finish line in sight while City activated their own version of DRS and powered relentlessly to the chequered flag like Max Verstappen in most races so far in this year’s Formula 1 championship.
Behind the top two, Newcastle’s takeover bore fruit quicker than many would’ve expected in the form of Champions League qualification, a prize that a resurgent Manchester United also claimed.
There were several teams who defied expectations this season, with Brighton and Aston Villa both securing European places that few could’ve envisaged just a year ago. Behind them, Brentford and Fulham both registered impressive top-half finishes, while Bournemouth defied the doom-mongering words of their former boss Scott Parker to survive relegation with no real worries.
Crystal Palace yet again lodged in mid-table comfort, while Wolves and Nottingham Forest both rode out difficult periods to secure top-flight survival with games to spare.
Those can all feel satisfied with their efforts in 2022/23, but several others will want to consign the last 10 months to history. Liverpool went from battling for four trophies to missing out on the top four, Tottenham reached levels of Spursy that even their most cynical detractors couldn’t have imagined, and all Chelsea had to show for their €600m+ spending spree was a 12th-place finish.
West Ham could have a European trophy in their possession later this week but endured a very uncomfortable domestic campaign, while Everton again rode their luck and survived by a hair’s breadth.
Leicester weren’t so fortunate, dropping out of the division they won just seven years ago, while Leeds couldn’t make it a second successive last-gasp escape from the drop. As for Southampton, they had been sailing quite near the plunge pool quite regularly in recent years, and this time they hurtled unceremoniously into it.
A season of much change saw stationery producers struggle to keep up with the demand for P45s, such was the frequency with which managers were jettisoned. Some new signings performed far below what would’ve been expected of them for the fees they commanded, but that certainly couldn’t be said of Erling Haaland, who needed only one year in the Premier League to become its record goalscorer for a single season.
As ever at this time of year (well, slightly later than usual given the unique pattern of the 2022/23 campaign), here’s a look at how all 20 clubs fared during the season just gone.
MANCHESTER CITY
It’s difficult to provide an objective analysis of Manchester City in 2023 without leaving yourself open to condemnation. Focus primarily on the team’s achievements on the pitch and you stand accused of ignoring the 115 Financial Fair Play charges they face from the Premier League. Hone in on that and you’re seen as bitter and ignorant to the marvellous football they’ve been producing.
The spectre of those fiscal indiscretions continues to hang in the background, although it’s undeniable that Pep Guardiola has created a formidable football team at the Etihad Stadium, with one particularly formidable player spearheading it all. It was inevitable that Erling Haaland would score goals aplenty for City, but to break the all-time Premier League record for a single season in his first year in England sums up his brilliance.
However, the Norwegian certainly isn’t the only reason for the Cityzens making it three titles in a row, and five out of the last six. Either side of him, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish have been superb. At the back, Ruben Dias has again excelled, while both Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji have taken seamlessly to auxiliary left-back roles. In midfield, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri were irrepressible.
It’s a sign of City’s consistency and quality that, even when Arsenal held an eight-point lead in the early weeks of 2023, many still imagined the champions going on to retain their crown, and so it proved. As they’ve done so often under Guardiola, they reeled off an exhaustive sequence of wins towards the end of the campaign to power their way into pole position and ultimately get over the line with three matches to spare. When it comes to the Premier League, City are just inevitable.
Two trophies are already in the bag, and it could peak with the greatest night in the club’s history if they triumph over Inter Milan in the Champions League final and emulate United’s treble of 1999, an astonishing feat which even in this era of unprecedented success for City would be something special.
High point: The masterful display to pick apart Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium and reach the Champions League final
Low point: The shock exit to Southampton in the Carabao Cup
Pre-season prediction: 1st
Season rating: 9/10 (upgrade to 10 if they do the treble)
ARSENAL
Arsenal had potential Premier League title glory in their hands and relinquished it with carelessly dropped points in April and May, but to dismiss Mikel Arteta’s team as chokers who’ve had a poor season would be disingenuous in the extreme.
The Gunners hadn’t even finished in the top four since 2016, so for them to not only seal a return to the Champions League but lead the way for several months represents fantastic progress. They’ve done it in style, too, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli in particular a joy to watch. They’ve also been helped by splendid performances at the back from William Saliba, Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale, with the north Londoners a far steelier outfit now than the flimsy iteration of the late 2010s.
There will certainly be regrets over how their title challenge unravelled, with dropped points against West Ham, Southampton, Brighton and Nottingham Forest being especially fatal. Nor did it help that they passed up their two chances to land a direct blow on Man City, losing both league games against the champions. As with their run-in to 2021/22, stumbling against direct rivals and bottom half opposition cost Arsenal dearly.
Still, any Gunners fan who claims that in August they’ve been underwhelmed by coming second in the league must be lying. Much like Liverpool in 2013/14, they’ll fondly recall how they came from the fringes to unexpectedly push for the title, playing some thrilling football along the way. They’ll be hurting over how it all petered out but should be immensely proud for keeping Man City at bay for so much of the season.
High point: The thrilling win over Man United which left them genuinely dreaming they could go all the way in the title race
Low point: The shocking surrender at home to Brighton which realistically killed off any remaining hopes of usurping Man City
Pre-season prediction: 5th
Season rating: 8.5/10
MANCHESTER UNITED
From the moment Erik ten Hag was confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager, you got a sense that the tide was about to turn back in their favour. It didn’t happen straight away, with defeats in their opening two games under the Dutchman (including a 4-0 hammering at Brentford), but once Liverpool were defeated at Old Trafford, the Red Devils’ latest new era was up and running.
Aside from the improved results on the pitch, Ten Hag also scored a major win by having the courage to jettison Cristiano Ronaldo following that notorious interview with Piers Morgan, when other managers could’ve blinked at the thought of offloading a player who’d been so crucial for United. He had confidence in the rest of the squad to get the results they needed, and their eventual finishing position vindicated his hardline stance on the Portuguese veteran.
The club have had numerous mishaps in the transfer market over the past few years, but they largely got it right last summer. Casemiro has transformed their midfield, while picking up Christian Eriksen on a free was splendid business. Elsewhere, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez have improved the defence.
Up top, Marcus Rashford was in the form of his life for about three months after the World Cup, answering his previous critics in some style. Another stalwart in David de Gea had some high-profile errors, but these were outnumbered by a series of displays in which he pulled off belief-defying saves. He remains a world-class goalkeeper who’s earned United no shortage of points.
There were some humiliating bumps along the way which showed that they still have a road to travel to truly get back to challenging for the biggest prizes – comprehensive defeats to Man City and Liverpool were tough to take, as was their Europa League capitulation against Sevilla. However, they still managed to beat every team in the top five apart from Newcastle, and the Magpies were seen off in the Carabao Cup final, United’s first silverware for six years.
Even though they came up narrowly short against Man City in the FA Cup final in their pursuit of a second trophy, they still look very well placed to continue their upward curve under the Dutchman.
High point: Ending the six-year trophy drought with victory in the Carabao Cup final
Low point: The 7-0 thumping at Anfield
Pre-season prediction: 4th
Season rating: 7.5/10
NEWCASTLE
When PIF completed their lucrative takeover of Newcastle United in October 2021, many expected it to be the catalyst for the Magpies to gravitate towards the upper echelons of the Premier League, but few could’ve anticipated just how rapid the progress would be.
In his first full season in charge at St James’ Park, Eddie Howe has guided the Geordies back into the Champions League for the first time since 2002/03, having made a series of astute signings rather than splurging on box-office attractions.
Sven Botman has been one of the best defenders in the league, and Nick Pope one of the best goalkeepers, while not even four months out injured could prevent Alexander Isak from hitting double figures in the top flight. Aside from the newcomers, Callum Wilson took full advantage of an injury-free campaign to hit massive numbers, while Joelinton continues to thrive in midfield and Dan Burn was immense at the back in more than just sheer height.
Akin to Manchester City, Newcastle’s success comes amid a murky backdrop, namely the tyrannical regime of Mohamed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. However, the team on the pitch has still been more than the sum of its parts, and for a fan base who’ve been through the wringer for so long, it’s refreshing to see St James’ Park so full of life. The ‘big six’ as we’ve come to know it in recent years is no longer, as the Magpies have gatecrashed that particular party.
High point: The 6-1 mutilation of Tottenham, with five goals scored inside the first 21 minutes
Low point: Yet another FA Cup third round exit to League One opposition, this time Sheffield Wednesday doing the damage
Pre-season prediction: 9th
Season rating: 9/10
LIVERPOOL
It was only a year ago that Liverpool were chasing down a historic quadruple, but the exhausting pursuit of those four trophies caused a hangover which spilled into this season and ultimately went a long way towards the Reds missing out on the top four.
The warning signs were evident right from the get-go, with their first three games producing just two points. Inconsistently dogged Jurgen Klopp’s team for most of the campaign, with emphatic results such as the 7-0 humiliation of Manchester United negated by careless defeats to the likes of Leeds, Wolves, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. It meant that a team which came within a point of winning the league last season never once occupied even a Champions League berth in 2022/23.
Mohamed Salah and Alisson were both tremendous once again this term, but many of the side who hit such stratospheric levels in recent years were well below their best. Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Andy Robertson and Jordan Henderson had arguably their poorest campaign for the Reds, and the same could’ve been said of Trent Alexander-Arnold until his redeployment in a more advanced role.
A seven-game winning streak after Easter prompted hopes that Liverpool could salvage a top-four finish in a manner similar to 2020/21, but in the end they were coming from just too far back to get into the Champions League again next season. Coming into the summer, only one thing is on the minds of Reds supporters – transfers, and plenty of them.
High point: That unforgettable 7-0 win over Man United
Low point: The unforgivable 3-0 hammering at Wolves
Pre-season prediction: 2nd
Season rating: 3.5/10
BRIGHTON
No Premier League club is geographically closer to mainland Europe than Brighton, but up until this year, their fans never got to see their team embark on a European tour. That’ll no longer be the case when the autumn rolls around.
The summer sales of Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella, along with the abrupt departure of manager Graham Potter to Chelsea in September, could’ve discommoded the Seagulls badly. When Roberto De Zerbi was appointed to fill the vacancy, plenty of English football fans were consulting Wikipedia to find out more on the Italian.
If there may have been questions over the 43-year-old when he arrived at the Amex Stadium, he delivered firm answers within eight months. Not only were Brighton tremendous to watch under his stewardship, they won regularly too, never dropping lower than eighth all season.
From mid-October onwards, De Zerbi’s team never lost consecutive league games, beating Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal by three goals while also doing the double over Manchester United. The likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo put themselves in the shop window with superb performances throughout the campaign, and a passage into the Europa League was richly deserved.
It was only 26 years ago that Brighton & Hove Albion were at risk of going out of existence. In September, the Sussex faithful will be flocking to the airport to follow their team around the continent. Football never ceases to amaze.
High point: The comprehensive 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool in January
Low point: The inexplicable collapse at home to a relegation-threatened Everton
Pre-season prediction: 11th
Season rating: 8.5/10
ASTON VILLA
20 October 2022 is a date that Aston Villa fans will treat as a suppressed memory. As their team flopped to a 3-0 defeat at Fulham on a rain-soaked Thursday night by the Thames, leaving them perilously close to the relegation zone amid mutiny against Steven Gerrard, the future looked bleaker than the Greek economy in the late 2000s.
Once Unai Emery walked through the door a couple of weeks later, the entire narrative of the season changed. The World Cup halted the early momentum which had been building under the Spaniard, but Villa picked it up again in the New Year and steadily their outlook shifted from looking over their shoulders at the drop zone to gliding into the top half and maybe even pushing for Europe.
A run of 26 points from a possible 30 between February and April brought European qualification firmly into view, and impressive wins over Tottenham and Brighton saw them clinch a Conference League spot on the final day of the season, capping an incredible turnaround in seven months under Emery.
Ollie Watkins’ goals were pivotal in Villa’s transformation, as was the goalkeeping of Emiliano Martinez and emergence of Jacob Ramsey as a genuine Premier League star. Of all the self-made managerial changes in the top flight this term, none worked out as wonderfully as the installation of the former Arsenal boss,
High point: Dismantling a very good Newcastle team at Villa Park in April
Low point: The miserable loss at Fulham which cost Gerrard his job
Pre-season prediction: 12th
Season rating: 7.5/10
TOTTENHAM
When Tottenham destroyed Leicester 6-2 in September to make it 17 points from a possible 21 to start the season, their fans must’ve been feeling pretty smug about having Antonio Conte masterminding what was shaping up to be one of their best campaigns in living memory. Let’s just say it didn’t last.
Spurs didn’t exactly fall off a cliff either, as even right through the winter and into February, they picked up plenty of wins, including their traditional conquering of Man City at home. Alas, whoever said to beware the ides of March must’ve had Tottenham Hotspur in mind.
Meek quickfire exits from the FA Cup and Champions League, and a kamikaze 3-3 draw at bottom club Southampton, saw the volatile Conte publicly eviscerate his players, dismembering trust to the extent that it cost him his job. His assistant Cristian Stellini took the reins but was gone within a month after a truly abysmal 6-1 drubbing at Newcastle, in which they were 5-0 down inside 21 minutes.
The final month of the campaign saw them tumble out of the European places altogether amid a revolt against chairman Daniel Levy. The supporters want him to go, but the man who looks likelier to depart first is Harry Kane, without whose 30 Premier League goals Spurs’ season would’ve been even more shambolic.
High point: The anomaly that is their annual win at home to Man City
Low point: Those torturous opening 21 minutes away to Newcastle
Pre-season prediction: 3rd
Season rating: 2/10
BRENTFORD
While numerous Premier League clubs were immersed in all sorts of drama this season, Brentford simply kept on keeping on under Thomas Frank, building upon their magnificent first Premier League campaign to become the highest-placed team from west London this time around. Any fears of them experiencing ‘second season syndrome’ like Sheffield United in 2020/21 or Leeds a year later proved very much unfounded.
A stunning 4-0 annihilation of Manchester United in the August sunshine set the tone for another splendid campaign for the Bees, who set-piece prowess also tied Liverpool in knots at the start of 2023, in addition to statement wins away to capital rivals Chelsea and Tottenham. Best of all, though, was pulling off the rare accomplishment of a league double over Manchester City, including a stoppage-time smash-and-grab at the Etihad Stadium in November.
A six-game winless slump in March and April ultimately put paid to a fairytale European finish, but that won’t detract from what a brilliant season Brentford had overall. The big concern from here, though, is how they’ll manage without Ivan Toney for the rest of the calendar year following his ban for gambling offences – his tally of 20 Premier League goals this term was surpassed only by Haaland and Kane.
High point: The shock last-gasp win away to Man City
Low point: Losing 4-0 to an Aston Villa team who were badly struggling at the time
Pre-season prediction: 13th
Season rating: 8/10
FULHAM
Following five successive years in which they’d been either promoted or relegated, Fulham returned to the Premier League in 2022 looking to break that chain, and they did so with aplomb.
Spearheaded by the goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic, and having made two particularly successful summer signings in Joao Palhinha and Willian – the latter enjoying a campaign of retribution following his unhappy time at Arsenal in 2020/21 – Marco Silva’s team hovered comfortably around the upper section of mid-table for almost the entire season.
They enjoyed some excellent results during the campaign – defeating local rivals Chelsea and doing the double on Brighton, and could well have pushed for a European finish had it not been for a run of eight defeats in 10 during the spring. That slump was characterised by the red cards to Mitrovic and Silva on the day that Fulham imploded in the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.
The Cottagers’ loss of form during the subsequent eight-match ban for the Serbian striker left a sense of ‘what might have been’, but any Fulham fan would surely have leapt at the prospect of a top-half finish when the season started.
High point: Their best performance was the 3-0 win away to Palace over the festive period
Low point: Being dumped out of the Carabao Cup by a Crawley side who went on to finish 22nd in League Two
Pre-season prediction: 19th
Season rating: 7/10
CRYSTAL PALACE
Outside of Manchester City, Crystal Palace are arguably the definition of a ‘you know what you’re gonna get’ team in the Premier League. This was their 10th successive season in the top flight, and in every single one they have finished between 10th and 15th.
From week 4 of the campaign onwards, the Eagles remained within that bracket of the table, never pushing to challenge for a European spot but also managing to keep a relegation fight at bay. The latter scenario was threatening to envelop them after a poor start to 2023 in which goals and wins were at a premium, and it ultimately saw Patrick Vieira relieved of his duties.
Palace went for a ‘back to the future’ approach by reinstating his predecessor Roy Hodgson, which may at first have seemed an uninspiring appointment but actually sparked the most exciting period of the season at Selhurst Park. The dazzling trio of Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise inspired a resurgent April period which saw Leeds hit for five (at Elland Road) and four goals stuck past West Ham.
The Eagles have seen teams with loftier ambitions and resources drop out of this league, although they haven’t been able to replicate the likes of Brighton and Brentford in qualifying (or pushing) for Europe. That is the fine line the club’s board must tread carefully as they enter a second decade of unbroken Premier League football.
High point: The obliteration of Leeds at Elland Road
Low point: The feeble FA Cup exit at home to a mutinous Southampton
Pre-season prediction: 10th
Season rating: 6/10
CHELSEA
If it seemed improbable that positions 8 to 12 in the final Premier League table would all be occupied by London clubs, it must’ve been unthinkable that the lowest of those would go to Chelsea. Yet here we are.
If anyone thought that the era of mass spending at Stamford Bridge would end when Roman Abramovich left the club, they reckoned without Todd Boehly. More than €600m was spent across the last two transfer windows, but not one of those acquisitions can claim to have been an unqualified success. Indeed, most of them performed well below the levels which would’ve been expected for the fees paid. Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Marc Cucurella all cost more than £60m but haven’t looked like players in that bracket thus far in blue.
Thomas Tuchel was shoved out the door in September just 16 months after winning the Champions League, with his replacement Graham Potter lasting only seven months as Chelsea became lodged in mid-table, never climbing above ninth this side of the World Cup. The short-term appointment of Frank Lampard as caretaker boss to see out the campaign smacked of grabbing the easiest option to hold the fort while Mauricio Pochettino was sought, in what was an ultimately successful pursuit.
The final statistics were damning – as many defeats as wins at home, 16 losses overall compared to just 11 wins, an average of only one goal per game, a -9 goal difference, just three league wins in the final four months of the season. The starkest comparison with their mid-20o0s glories can be best summarised with the realisation that they lost more league games this term than conceded goals in their first title win over Jose Mourinho in 2004/05.
This summer marks 20 years since Abramovich bought the club, a takeover which prompted the most glorious period in Chelsea’s history. Right now, they seem further away from that than they’ve been at any point since the fateful summer of 2003.
High point: The win over Borussia Dortmund which took them into the Champions League quarter-finals
Low point: Plenty of candidates here, but losing at home to a poor Southampton side was particularly galling
Pre-season prediction: 6th
Season rating: 1/10
WOLVES
A tame finish to last season carried over into the early weeks of this campaign, with one win and three goals from their first nine matches seeing the dour Bruno Lage lose his job. In came a shrewd appointment in Julen Lopetegui, a manager with Spain and Real Madrid on his CV, and while it wasn’t until after the World Cup break that Wolves’ season truly took off, the change was very much justified.
A run of four wins in seven games in the first two months of 2023 saw the Old Gold gradually clamber out of relegation trouble and into a lower mid-table position. For a finish, they could even afford to ship hammerings at Brighton (6-0) and Arsenal (5-0) in the final month of the campaign without having to unduly worry, even if losing half of their 38 league games and scoring a paltry 31 goals isn’t a good look.
Standout performers such as Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes and Max Kilman could be lured to other clubs in the summer, which would leave Wolves needing to go shopping if they’re to avoid a more lasting relegation battle next season. There’s a chance that stars of the Nuno Espirito Santo era such as Adama Traore, Jonny and Raul Jimenez may also be phased out gently.
High point: Playing Liverpool off the park at Molineux
Low point: A sorry 4-0 home defeat to Midlands rivals Leicester in October
Pre-season prediction: 17th
Season rating: 5/10
WEST HAM
Just like last season, West Ham have enjoyed a European campaign to remember, this time taking them all the way to the Europa Conference League final. Unlike last season, that brilliant continental run was accompanied by a domestic campaign of struggle.
The Irons were in trouble early on, with their first seven games yielding only four points, and a run of five successive defeats either side of the World Cup led to calls for David Moyes’ sacking. While many other bottom-half clubs pulled the trigger, though, the Hammers’ hierarchy kept faith in the Scot and were rewarded for their patience.
April was the turning point, when 10 points from a possible 15 (along with the continuation of their European journey) ultimately saw them comfortable by early May. It may have taken some time to adjust to the London Stadium when it opened in 2016 but this season West Ham were ultimately saved by their home form – they lost 13 of their 19 away trips in the league and won only three.
With Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen as notable exceptions, much of the squad which did so well under Moyes since his return to the club failed to replicate the previous standards they’d set, even if injuries and some horrendous luck with refereeing decisions didn’t help either. It’s been a poor season for the Irons overall, but could still end with the greatest night in the club’s modern history.
High point: Sealing their place in a first European final since 1976 (aside from the disgusting scenes in the stands at full-time in Alkmaar)
Low point: The 4-0 thrashing at Brighton in March which left them with genuine fears of relegation
Pre-season prediction: 7th
Season rating: 5/10 (would be 3/10 had it not been for Europe)
BOURNEMOUTH
When Scott Parker implied prior to the campaign that Bournemouth’s squad was short of the level required for the Premier League, it felt like he was making a rod for his own back, and it struck him when he was sacked before the end of August following a 9-0 drubbing at Liverpool.
Gary O’Neil was given the manager’s job on an initial caretaker basis, with a six-match unbeaten run helping him to land the role full-time in November. A sequence of eight defeats in nine either side of the World Cup plunged them back into the bottom three, and it was beginning to look as if the Cherries’ battling qualities wouldn’t be enough to save them. Then came a hugely cathartic revenge victory over Liverpool which instigated a run of six wins out of nine and meant they could even afford to lose their final four games without any fears of the drop.
They may have lost 21 times and conceded 71 goals, but O’Neil’s Bournemouth had a tendency to dig in for victories (eight of their 11 league wins were by one goal), while seven-goal Philip Billing was one of the best pound-for-pound performers in the Premier League all season. A 15th-placed finish pulling up would’ve been warmly welcomed at the Vitality Stadium when the campaign began amid Parker’s message of doom.
High point: The last-gasp win away to Tottenham in April
Low point: Being hit for nine at Anfield
Pre-season prediction: 20th
Season rating: 6/10
NOTTINGHAM FOREST
The Nottingham Forest team which took to the field in the Premier League this season bore very little resemblance to the one which clinched promotion a year ago as Steve Cooper put the new-found top-flight riches to considerable use in the summer, with no fewer than 23 signings (seven more followed in January).
The investment didn’t bear fruit straight away, as the Reds sat bottom in mid-October with just one win from their first 11 games. A strong start to 2023 as they picked up 12 points from a possible 21 took them up to 13th and they appeared to be sailing serenely towards mid-table, but they then endured an 11-game winless streak yielding only three points which took them back into the mire again.
There were rumours that Cooper could lose his job but the club honoured the contract extension handed to him earlier in the campaign and were rewarded as a strong finish to the season, including impressive wins over Brighton and Arsenal, secured their top-flight safety. Ten-goal Taiwo Awoniyi was crucial to keeping them in the division, as was the expensive addition of Morgan Gibbs-White, with January arrival Danilo also chipping in with valuable contributions from midfield.
Forest took a huge gamble with their mass spending spree, but their aggressive transfer policy was ultimately vindicated.
High point: A superb display to defeat Brighton in April to spark the late surge to escape relegation
Low point: The abject 4-0 defeat away to Leicester in October
Pre-season prediction: 14th
Season rating: 5.5/10
EVERTON
If Everton fans thought last season’s narrow escape from relegation was one from which they wouldn’t look back, they were sorely mistaken as the 2022/23 campaign ended up being even more nerve-wracking.
They came into the season having done minimal business in the transfer market before eventually putting the £60m banked from selling Richarlison to use. Amadou Onana and Dwight McNeil turned out to be clever acquisitions, but the signing of Neal Maupay could be added to the lengthy list of transfer missteps at Goodison Park under the deeply unpopular regime of Farhad Moshiri.
By the time Frank Lampard was sacked in January, just over a year after he replaced the despised Rafael Benitez, the Toffees had only three league wins to their name and sat second bottom. Sean Dyche was entrusted with preserving their top-flight status into an eighth consecutive decade and he settled Everton straight away with two wins in his first three games.
They’d only win three more times after that but their tendency to pick up respectable draws away from home eventually saved them. They also came up clutch when the pressure was at its greatest in May, thrashing Brighton 5-1 at the Amex Stadium, scoring a 99th-minute equaliser at Wolves and finding a way to beat Bournemouth on the final day when only a win would keep them up.
Job done for Dyche as of now, but it was telling that the pitch invasion after that win over the Cherries quickly turned from ecstasy at avoiding relegation to fury at the club’s perennially absent hierarchy. Everton have danced with the devil twice and lived to tell the tale. Surely if they continue to dice with death, they’ll succumb eventually.
High point: The clinical and surprising 5-1 demolition of Brighton at the Amex Stadium, which ultimately went a long way towards keeping them up again
Low point: The reverse fixture in early January as the Seagulls ran riot at Goodison Park
Pre-season prediction: 18th
Season rating: 3/10
LEICESTER
For several years, Leicester were held up as role models on how to discommode the established ‘big six’, but that prolonged period of stellar work was undone during a campaign which saw them tumble out of the Premier League seven years after winning it.
They were behind the 8-ball almost immediately due to a horrendous start which saw them collect one measly point from their first seven games, but a resurgence prior to the World Cup saw them looking steadily upwards. The break came at the worst possible time for the Foxes, who were subsequently unable to find any consistency. A similarly barren period in spring akin to that at the start of the season saw Brendan Rodgers sacked before Easter and Dean Smith brought in to pick up the pieces.
He kept Aston Villa up three years ago but a final day win over West Ham wasn’t enough to lift Leicester out of the drop zone this time. Goals weren’t the problem – the Foxes scored 51 of them – but nine games in which conceded three or more typified the defensive problems which ultimately sank them.
The departure of Kasper Schmeichel last summer left them without a dependable goalkeeper, while the leadership which characterised their 2016 title-winning season was notably absent. The likes of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes surely won’t hang around for a campaign in the Championship.
High point: Their 4-2 win away to an in-form Aston Villa in February
Low point: The moment that relegation was confirmed on the final day
Pre-season prediction: 8th
Season rating: 2/10
LEEDS
‘Never again’, swore Andrea Radrizzani after Leeds saved themselves from relegation on the final day of last season. They were words the club owner would come to regret 12 months later.
The inevitable departures of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips last summer left them with two massive gaps to fill in the team, and the signings made by Jesse Marsch were unable to live up to their illustrious predecessors. Some did impress during the season, with Wilfried Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra getting fans off their seats at Elland Road. However, others like Weston McKennie and Georginio Rutter made next to no impression, nor did it help that some long-serving stalwarts of the 2020 promotion campaign either dropped their standards (Luke Ayling, Illan Meslier) or suffered persistent injury problems (Patrick Bamford).
You only need look at the league table to see where their biggest problem lay – when you concede 78 goals (23 in April alone), you’re asking for trouble. A dismal run-in of two points from their final nine games also went a long way towards the Whites tumbling out of the top flight.
They churned through three different managers this season and none of them worked. The fans never took to Marsch or Javi Gracia, while the Hail Mary hiring of Sam Allardyce with four matches remaining smacked of short-termism and prove ill-fated. It’s telling that, during each of those trio’s reigns, the name of a certain Marcelo Bielsa continued to reverberate around Elland Road.
High point: The shock win at Anfield
Low point: The feeble display at home to Tottenham as their relinquished their Premier League status
Pre-season prediction: 16th
Season rating: 2/10
SOUTHAMPTON
Ever since their mid-2010s peak under Ronald Koeman, Southampton have largely been peering nervously over their shoulders at the relegation zone, and there was only going to be so long that they could tread water before finally drowning.
They actually began the season impressively enough under Ralph Hasenhuttl, sitting ninth after five games, but they had dropped into the bottom three by November and the Austrian was given his marching orders. Then came one of the most bizarre managerial appointments in Premier League history as former Luton boss Nathan Jones came in, oversaw seven league defats in eight games amid constant heckling from a fan base who were against him from the outset, and was given the sack himself by mid-February.
After a brief flicker under Ruben Selles, the Saints’ last win of the season came against Leicester on 4 March. The subsequent 13 games yielded only four points, with three or more goals conceded in seven of those matches, and their fate was effectively sealed long before mathematical confirmation on 13 May. A pathetic home record of just two wins made relegation inevitable.
Southampton put too much trust in youth, with all but two of their 15 signings since the summer aged 25 or under, and once again were too dependent on James Ward-Prowse to try and dig them out of a hole. It was a dreadful season even with the captain’s contributions; imagine how bleak it would’ve been had it not been for him.
High point: Beating Man City in the Carabao Cup
Low point: The meek surrender to relegation in the home defeat to Fulham, although FA Cup elimination to fourth-tier Grimsby at St Mary’s was another notable nadir
Pre-season prediction: 15th
Season rating: 1/10
Goal of the season: Michael Olise’s stunning free kick to rescue a point for Crystal Palace in stoppage time against Manchester United in January
Game of the season: Arsenal 3-2 Man United – a thrilling, high-quality tie between two teams who were in title contention at the time which swung one way and then the other before Eddie Nketiah won it in stoppage time. The 3-3 draw between Brighton and Brentford in April is a close second.
Manager of the season: So many viable candidates here – Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta for obvious reasons; Eddie Howe for masterminding Newcastle’s return to the Champions League; Thomas Frank continuing to work wonders at Brentford; Unai Emery completely transforming Aston Villa’s fortunes.
However, my pick is Roberto De Zerbi. Graham Potter’s swift exit to Chelsea could’ve destabilised Brighton, but the previously little-known Italian led the Seagulls into Europe for the first time ever, doing so without compromising on the team’s stylish brand of football.
Player of the season: Erling Haaland
Young player of the season (21 or under): Bukayo Saka
Team of the season (4-3-3): Nick Pope – Kieran Trippier, William Saliba, Ruben Dias, Dan Burn – Martin Odegaard, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne – Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Bukayo Saka
Honourable mentions: Alisson, David de Gea, Nathan Ake, Sven Botman, Manuel Akanji, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Pervis Estupinan, Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Alexis Mac Allister, Eberechi Eze, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Callum Wilson, Gabriel Martinelli, Jack Grealish, Ollie Watkins, Evan Ferguson
Flops XI: Illan Meslier – Nelson Semedo, Cristian Romero, Wout Faes, Junior Firpo – Fabinho, Enzo Fernandez, Weston McKennie – Richarlison, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Neal Maupay
The moments we’ll remember about the 2022/23 season:
- The ridiculous domination of Erling Haaland
- Brentford’s scintillating first half demolition of Man United
- The tiff between Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte at the end of Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham
- The 3-3 thriller between Newcastle and Man City
- Brennan Johnson wiping out Richarlison after the Spurs player had the audacity to play keepy-uppy at the City Ground
- Fabio Carvalho’s 98th-minute winner againt Newcastle
- Bournemouth’s remarkable second half comeback away to Nottingham Forest
- A player born in 2007 (Ethan Nwaneri) making his top-flight debut
- Darwin Nunez scoring the winner against West Ham at Anfield just two minutes after the away fans called him a “s*** Andy Carroll”
- Crysencio Summerville’s last-gasp winner making Leeds the first (and still only) away team to win at Anfield in front of their fans since April 2017
- Brentford’s stoppage time win at the Etihad
- The six-week break before Christmas owing to the World Cup
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s infamous chat with Piers Morgan
- Wout Faes scoring two own goals in Leicester’s defeat at Anfield
- The emergence of Evan Ferguson
- Arsenal putting together a prolonged title challenge
- Marcus Rashford silencing his critics
- Michael Olise’s stunning free kick to rescue a point against Man United
- The best Arsenal-Man Utd match (3-2 at the Emirates) since the Ferguson-Wenger era
- The scenes when Reiss Nelson scored Arsenal’s last-gasp winner against Bournemouth after coming from 2-0 down
- Liverpool 7-0 Man Utd
- Antonio Conte’s extraordinary rant after Spurs drew 3-3 at Southampton
- Brighton and Brentford serving up one of the games of the season and showing why both were in contention to qualify for Europe
- The depressing regularity of tragedy chanting at matches
- Callum Wilson doing the Macarena celebration against West Ham – after being encouraged in a recent podcast by West Ham player Michail Antonio
- Matheus Nunes’ Van Basten-esque screamer against Chelsea
- Liverpool’s stirring comeback agaisnt Arsenal
- The madcap finish to Bournemouth’s win at Tottenham
- Southampton scoring inside 15 seconds away to Arsenal
- Newcastle’s incredible first 20 minutes against Spurs
- The thrilling first half between Crystal Palace and West Ham at Selhurst Park (well worth the delayed kick-off due to ticket machine issues)
- Diogo Jota scoring a stoppage time winner for Liverpool against Spurs just after Richarlison did his pigeon dance when he thought he’d rescued a point at the other end
- The thrilling Bank Holiday Monday in May when three matches produced 21 goals
- The emotional send-off given to Roberto Firmino after Liverpool’s final home game of the season
- Julio Enciso’s screamer against Man City
- Everton again saving themselves by the skin of their teeth
- Newcastle returning to the Champions League after 20 years away
- Brighton and Aston Villa qualifying for Europe
- Jeff Stelling’s final Soccer Saturday, a true end of an era as one of the greatest broadcasters of all time departed Sky Sports
Man, Ball and All 