Page 38 - Soccer360 Issue 106

EPL SEASON REVIEW
TOP LEFT:
The Manchester City star somehow performed even better
this season and was a worthy recipient of the Player of the Year award
TOP RIGHT:
Everton were deducted eight points, but still managed to avoid the drop
RIGHT:
Emery has completely changed the fortunes of Aston Villa and there is huge excitement around the club ahead of next season
BELOW:
Luton surprised many this season but could not do enough to stay up in the end
Ollie Watkins definitely helped but the entire squad has been reenergised by Emery’s tactics and way of doing things and now the fans in the Holte End will be eagerly looking forward to what comes next.
After their fantastic start, Tottenham ultimately had to settle for fifth and a place in the Europa League, just above Chelsea who had many a tough day in Mauricio Pochettino’s first season in charge, but showed impressively resurgent form in the closing weeks to finish a respectable sixth. The Blues also had one of the Premier League’s star turns, with Cole Palmer enjoying the most outstanding breakout season.
If the race for the title had everyone on the edge of their seats, the scrap at the bottom was more nuanced than the final league table positions suggest. For only the second time in the Premier League era, all three of the clubs promoted from the Championship ended up making a swift return trip back down to the second tier.
Sheffield United seemed woefully unprepared for the rigours of the Premier League as they conceded a record 104 goals in claiming only three wins all season, and while Burnley looked good in flashes under the management of Vincent Kompany, their fate also seemed signposted long before they were officially relegated. Luton Town were the big surprise of the season though. Their unique Kenilworth Road ground
attracted most of the patronising media attention at the beginning of the campaign but Rob Edwards managed to get his players to outperform the club’s budgetary restrictions throughout. However, even with the points deductions suffered by Everton and Nottingham Forest, Luton could not do enough in the end to warrant another season in the Premier League.
So, as the dust settles on one of the more memorable Premier League seasons in recent years, it is Manchester City who celebrate another title, continuing their dominance of the English game. But it was evident that the way Arsenal pushed them all the way to the final weekend of the season engrossed the fans and the media alike and made the Premier League as a whole a far more interesting place. City might have won another title but the best thing for the EPL is to have this increased level of competition.
With so much money concentrated in the few clubs at the top, there is the potential for things to get stale and the drama and excitement that attracts football fans from all over the world to the English game
to disappear. Arsenal’s players may have promised their own fans that they would be back and give it their all again next season but, for the sake of the English Premier League itself, it would be a positive step if even more clubs joined in the battle for the title in the years ahead.
36 SOCCER360 SUMMER 2024