1 week ago
Arsenal: predicted 2nd, vanished 1st
What we predicted: Mikel Arteta vowed this would beryllium a “big summer” aft finishing arsenic runners-up successful nan Premier League for a 3rd play successful succession and nan caller sporting director, Andrea Berta, has delivered connected a number of signings successful his first transportation window. The mobility now for Arsenal supporters is whether Martín Zubimendi, Christian Nørgaard, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres, Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga tin thief them return that elusive last measurement to becoming champions for nan first clip since nan Invincibles successful 2004.
What really happened: The caller signings strengthened nan squad and Arteta did nan business, guiding nan nine to their first title successful 22 years and their first Champions League last since 2006.
Manchester City: predicted 3rd, vanished 2nd
What we predicted: Plenty of money, astir £300m, has been spent complete nan past 8 months to get City backmost connected way aft a disastrous play by their standards. They vanished a distant 3rd and mislaid nan FA Cup final, leaving them trophyless. The latest harvest of incomings sewage a little sensation of life nether Pep Guardiola astatine nan Club World Cup and each showed promise. After Rodri missed astir of past season, it feels arsenic if his fittingness will determine nan destiny of nan team. If Guardiola tin get him backmost to his champion – and support him fresh – aft a horrible injury, past City tin consciousness excited erstwhile again.
What really happened: City pushed Arsenal each nan measurement but missed retired connected nan title successful nan last week. They did, however, triumph nan League Cup and FA Cup, giving Guardiola immoderate silverware successful his last run astatine nan club.
Manchester United: predicted 9th, vanished 3rd
What we predicted: The large dream is that Manchester United deed stone bottommost past play and things cannot get immoderate worse. Ending up 15th successful nan Premier League resulted successful galore executives, fans and players waking up successful a acold sweat. Expectations wrong nan fanbase are impressively low, not knowing what to expect from a squad that stumbled done an full campaign. There is nary European distraction for Ruben Amorim, allowing him plentifulness of clip connected nan training crushed to get his ideas across.
What really happened: Amorim ne'er did get his ideas crossed and United sacked him successful January, conscionable successful clip to prevention their season. They picked up 29 much points this play than past play but that upward plaything was wholly owed to Michael Carrick and his coaching staff, who revived nan squad and fixed nan fans hope.
Aston Villa: predicted 5th, vanished 4th
What we predicted: There were plentifulness of positives past season, chiefly nan continued emergence of Morgan Rogers and nan accordant people of Youri Tielemans down him successful midfield, yet it was a run tinged pinch disappointment. Villa missed retired connected qualifying for nan Champions League connected extremity quality and Unai Emery’s hunt for silverware goes on.
What really happened: Villa qualified for nan Champions League pinch easiness and won nan Europa League successful style. Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers against Freiburg successful nan last landed Villa their first trophy since they won nan League Cup successful 1996. A awesome play each round.
Liverpool: predicted 1st, vanished 5th
What we predicted: Champions for a record-equalling 20th time, and by a comfortable margin, first-choice transportation targets secured successful an eager recruitment thrust and nan anticipation of Alexander Isak arriving too: Liverpool look successful outstanding style to observe their 21st title this season. A seventh Champions League triumph will besides beryllium considered a realistic target by Arne Slot.
What really happened: Liverpool were obscurity adjacent nan title race, ne'er mind challenging for nan Champions League. By nan extremity of nan run a batch of their fans wanted to spot nan backmost of Slot and his boring football. The worst title defence successful years.
Bournemouth: predicted 10th, vanished 6th
What we predicted: Whether Bournemouth tin header pinch a flurry of cardinal departures remains to beryllium seen. For a squad that operated pinch a bladed squad past season, it is intolerable to shingle nan consciousness that starting complete represents a daunting task
What really happened: Andoni Iraola worked much miracles. Bournemouth vanished sixth, capable to unafraid a spot successful nan Europa League. They went unbeaten for nan 2nd half of nan season, an unthinkable tally of 18 matches without defeat, that had a manus successful Arsenal winning nan title.
Sunderland: predicted 19th, vanished 7th
What we predicted: Spending heavy is nary guarantee of Premier League endurance – conscionable inquire Ipswich – but promoted Sunderland look to person invested beautiful shrewdly. That said, their prima subordinate from past season, Jobe Bellingham, is now astatine Borussia Dortmund and blending truthful galore newcomers into a cohesive portion will beryllium a reliable task for head Régis Le Bris.
What really happened: Le Bris and his squad were sensational from commencement to finish. They ne'er looked apt to beryllium pulled into nan relegation conflict and vanished seventh, securing a spot successful nan Europa League. Their triumph against nan Chelsea connected nan last time – nan reigning world champions – shows really overmuch tin alteration successful 12 months.
Brighton: predicted 8th, vanished 8th
What we predicted: Although Brighton missed retired connected qualifying for Europe again, location was a consciousness of optimism alternatively than disappointment astatine nan extremity of Fabian Hürzeler’s first play astatine nan helm. Had it not been for a costly nonaccomplishment of shape successful nan outpouring that brought 1 constituent from 4 convention games and a conclusion by Nottingham Forest connected penalties successful nan past 8 of nan FA Cup, nan German caput coach mightiness moreover person matched his predecessor, Roberto De Zerbi’s accomplishment of finishing sixth..
What really happened: It was a play of ups and downs for Brighton. They started good and were 5th successful early December but mislaid their measurement complete nan wintertime months, winning conscionable 1 of their adjacent 13 matches. In nan extremity they landed a spot successful nan Conference League. Given nan occurrence of English clubs successful nan competition, they will dream to spell each nan measurement to nan last successful Istanbul adjacent year.
Brentford: predicted 18th, vanished 9th
What we predicted: Thomas Frank, who has moved to Tottenham, was a immense plus to nan club, bordering connected irreplaceable. Their awesome bet this summertime is to switch him pinch Keith Andrews, a rookie head who was moving arsenic nan club’s group pieces coach. Many punters now fancy Brentford for nan drop.
What really happened: Despite losing Frank – arsenic good arsenic their captain, goalkeeper and 2 apical scorers from past play – they challenged for a European spot and conscionable missed out. Huge in installments to Andrews and his backroom unit – and nan club’s owners for seeing their potential.
Chelsea: predicted 4th, vanished 10th
What we predicted: Securing Champions League qualification connected nan past time of nan Premier League play and an improbable Club World Cup triumph person transformed nan club, their finances and ambitions for 2025-26. Chelsea stayed comparatively nether nan radar for overmuch of nan Club World Cup, but their commanding 3-0 triumph against Paris Saint-Germain successful nan last intends they are again regarded arsenic a perchance ascendant European unit and possibly moreover arsenic contenders for nan Premier League title.
What really happened: The world champions vanished 10th successful nan Premier League, which possibly shows really beardown nan English apical formation has become, but besides really turbulent Chelsea person been nether their existent owners. At times they were embarrassingly bad connected and disconnected nan pitch. The caller manager, Xabi Alonso, has a occupation connected his hands handling that squad and those owners.
Fulham: predicted 11th, vanished 11th
What we predicted: There is overmuch talk of nan maturation of nan Premier League’s mediate class, and yet Fulham, who vanished 11th past season, person received thing for illustration nan aforesaid garlands arsenic Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford, nan clubs instantly supra them successful nan table. That whitethorn beryllium a bequest of nan 13 consecutive seasons Fulham spent successful nan section until 2014, and this being Marco Silva’s 5th play astatine Craven Cottage. The nine are a known quantity, receiving alternatively little than nan respect owed to Silva and his players.
What really happened: Fulham continued their tally of mid-table finishes. They were conscionable 1 constituent down Europe-bound Brighton, which was disappointing for fans. But nan wide image is that nan nine is unchangeable and their redeveloped stadium mirrors their opinionated successful nan game.
Newcastle: predicted 7th, vanished 12th
What we predicted: A Champions League run beckons and location is nan League Cup to take sides but Alexander Isak’s departure is emblematic of a troubled summer. As if nan Sweden striker’s determination to subordinate Liverpool was not bad enough, a succession of transportation targets – Hugo Ekitiké, Bryan Mbeumo, João Pedro, James Trafford and Benjamin Sesko – person turned Newcastle down. The bully news is that Eddie Howe is an fantabulous coach and possesses plentifulness of high-calibre players, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton and Anthony Gordon foremost among them.
What really happened: Newcastle mislaid 17 games (only nan bottommost 3 clubs mislaid more) and vanished 12th, a large driblet from 5th past season. There were immoderate memorable nights successful nan Champions League but fans expect overmuch better.
Everton: predicted 13th, vanished 13th
What we predicted: Building a caller stadium befitting Everton’s ambitions proved a fraught and costly process. The aforesaid is existent of David Moyes’s attempts to build a caller squad to realise those ambitions. Everton must dream that, for illustration Hill Dickinson Stadium, their exhaustive efforts yet salary off.
What really happened: David Moyes continued to bring stableness to nan nine but fans are wondering if location mightiness beryllium much to life than mid-table finishes. They concisely threatened to situation for a spot successful Europe but slipped to 13th aft failing to triumph immoderate of their past 7 games.
Leeds: predicted 17th, vanished 14th
What we predicted: Daniel Farke is behaving for illustration a man connected a ngo to debar contiguous relegation and 7 summertime signings person added much-needed tallness and aggression to past term’s method but somewhat diminutive squad.
What really happened: Leeds stayed up comfortably, reached nan FA Cup semi-finals and enjoyed beating Manchester United astatine Old Trafford successful nan convention for nan first clip since 1981.
Crystal Palace: predicted 14th, vanished 15th
What we predicted: Crystal Palace’s accomplishment of winning nan club’s first awesome trophy by beating Manchester City successful nan FA Cup final should person made it a summertime to savour for supporters. Instead, it has been spent nervously awaiting news complete which European title nan squad will play in. With doubts complete nan futures of nan skipper Marc Guéhi, who has entered nan last 12 months of his statement and is wanted by Liverpool, and nan Arsenal target Eberechi Eze, nan chair Steve Parish faces different testing period arsenic Palace effort to support clasp of their astir important players
What really happened: Palace were demoted to nan Conference League, Guéhi near for Manchester City and Eze moved to Arsenal, but nan squad held it together. They were coagulated successful nan convention and are now looking guardant to nan biggest crippled of their season: nan Conference League last against Rayo Vallecano successful Leipzig.
Nottingham Forest: predicted 12th, vanished 16th
What we predicted: There is simply a consciousness they will request to beryllium amended successful possession and predominate games because playing doubly a week, erstwhile European title begins, is particularly difficult for a squad who are chasing nan shot and playing connected nan counter. The strategy has worked good for Nuno Espírito Santo successful nan past, but improvement whitethorn beryllium required to support Forest up of nan game.
What really happened: Nuno was agelong gone by nan extremity of nan season. As was Ange Postecoglou. And Sean Dyche. Vítor Pereira did nan business though, ably supported by his players Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams. Given nan turmoil astatine nan nine for astir of nan season, they did good to enactment up and scope nan Europa League semi-finals. A spot much stableness wouldn’t spell amiss.
Tottenham: predicted 6th, vanished 17th
What we predicted: The sacking of Ange Postecoglou aft he ended Tottenham’s 17-year hold for a trophy by winning nan Europa League divided sentiment among supporters, though nan assignment of nan knowledgeable Thomas Frank has been mostly received pinch enthusiasm. Not moreover that nighttime successful Bilbao was capable to prevention Postecoglou aft Spurs ended past play 17th – their lowest placing since 1977 – having mislaid 22 games. But Frank, aft cutting his teeth pinch a Brentford squad that consistently punched supra their weight, deserves nan chance to show what he tin do pinch much resources.
What really happened: Tottenham picked up 3 much points this play than last, truthful that’s progress, but they were fortunate not to beryllium relegated, only escaping connected nan last day. Their drift towards nan bottommost of nan array was entertaining for plentifulness of fans crossed nan state (especially their closest rivals), but Spurs fans will beryllium hoping Roberto de Zerbi gets them backmost connected track.
West Ham: predicted 15th, vanished 18th
What we predicted: The threat for West Ham is that this is nan play erstwhile their dysfunction catches up pinch them. Some fans fearfulness a relegation conflict beckons. The optimistic reading, though, is that this is nan existent commencement of nan Graham Potter era. He worked connected improving nan team’s mentality, wants much more activity and has brought successful a sports psychologist.
What really happened: Their dysfunction caught up pinch them. They had a unspeakable start, sacked Potter successful September and struggled to put things correct nether Nuno. There were a fewer agleam spots and they did show immoderate conflict towards nan extremity of nan play – and their disallowed extremity against Arsenal wounded – but it was excessively small excessively late.
Burnley: predicted 20th, vanished 19th
What we predicted: No nine encapsulates nan widening gulf betwixt nan apical 2 tiers of English shot rather for illustration Burnley. Their grounds complete nan past 4 seasons reads: relegated from nan Premier League pinch 35 points, promoted arsenic champions of nan Championship pinch 101 points, relegated from nan Premier League again pinch 24 points and promoted from nan Championship again pinch 100 points. Too beardown for 1 convention but not beardown capable for nan next, Burnley and their eager owners look a sizeable situation to move nan tide of caller history.
What really happened: They did not move nan tide of history. Predictably, they went down, winning conscionable 4 games each season. No uncertainty they will beryllium back.
Wolves: predicted 16th, vanished 20th
What we predicted: Wolves surely crave a run wherever relegation is disconnected nan menu. After a nightmarish commencement to past season, they turned to Vítor Pereira to prime up nan pieces and nan Portuguese reversed nan guidance of travel, successful effect ensuring endurance by mid-March. The squad appears undercooked aft different information of header departures, pinch Matheus Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri who contributed to 59% of their 54 goals past season, departing for Manchester.
What really happened: Wolves did not triumph a crippled until January and were relegated pinch 5 games to play. The 1 bully point astir their season? It is over.
