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As the season has drawn to a close and the new season is soon to arrive, before I return to the crystal ball I’m here today to reflect on my Premier League predictions I made in January, reflecting on how the second half of the Premier League season.
Unlike my Championship predictions, I tried to anticipate the entire Premier League table, top to bottom. While some were bang on the money, it’s fair to say there are a few inaccurate ones to evaluate also. There were also a fair few individual awards that were off the money too.
Before any awards are evaluated, it’s time to have the final word on one of the worst sides to ever grace the Premier League unfortunately, and that was 20th place…
20th- Sheffield United
League position: 20th
My prediction: 20th
One of the easier predictions I made in January was that Sheffield United would be making a painful return to the championship once again, and to no one’s surprise Chris Wilder was unable to create the great escape and the Blades will spend next season in England’s second division.
Despite signings such as Chilean forward Ben Brereton Diaz on loan from Villareal and experienced Premier League defender Mason Holgate, neither failed to have a profound effect on Chris Wilder’s side, as offensively they remained limp and defensively woeful. Woeful may be an understatement here, as the Blades became the worst defensive side in Premier League history, breaking Swindon Town’s record and conceding 104 goals. Like Swindon in the 93/94 season, both sides were decimated at the hands of Newcastle, with an aggregate scoreline of 13-1 against the Magpies last season.
Despite signings such as Keifer Moore and Callum O’Hare this season, the Champiosnhip’s quality continues to rise every season and Sheffield United face a tough task to return to the Premier League first time of asking, with teams like Leeds, Luton, and Burnley all looking to get back to the promised land.
19th- Burnley
League position: 19th
My prediction: 19th
A similar case in the North of England here, as once again Burnley return to football’s second tier and face a battle to return the to the Premier League, this time under new management under former Fulham and Club Brugge (still cannot believe that happened) manager, Scott Parker. Despite going down with a whimper against Forest on the final day of the season, manager Vincent Kompany was still able to secure himself a move out of the Championship to Bayern Munich, where he’ll be swapping Jay Rodriguez and Josh Cullen for Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala.
Unlike Christoph Freund and other higher-ups at Bayern Munich who seemed keen to appoint Kompany, in January I was critical of his management style in the Premier League, and how he insisted on playing the same brand of football that saw his side reach 101 points in the 22/23 season. His free-flowing, front-foot approach to games was never going to translate well coming up into the Premier League, and Kompany lacked the humility to concede this, as Burnley were left exposed defensively and meant they were easily dominated and simply outplayed by most sides.
Like Sheffield United, the Clarets face a tough challenge to return the Premier League first time of asking next season, but with players such as Sander Berge and Wilson Odobert ready to take on a promotion fight, it would not be surprising to seem them return and yo-yo between the leagues once again.
18th- Luton Town
League position: 18th
My prediction: 18th
The fairytale survival was never meant to be. Luton Town were 6 points away from safety, but in the end this was just a hurdle just too much for Rob Edward’s men. Despite impressive wins against Brighton and Bournemouth in the second half of the season at Kenilworth Road, it seemed as though the magic of their infamous home ground faded at the end of the season, after loosing 5-1 to Brentford, 4-2 to Fulham and a disappointing 1-1 draw with Everton meant that Luton would be unable to survive their first ever season in the Premier League.
Despite the impressive displays from Belgian goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski in between the sticks for Luton, an ill disciplined and generally low quality defence seemed to be Luton’s undoing this season. Without the leadership of captain Tom Lockyer at the back for Luton, the Hatters looked disorganised with the likes of Teden Mengi, Gabriel Osho, Reece Burke and Amari’i Bell, who failed to step up to the Premier League’s level. It should be no surprise to anyone that these are simply championship quality players and should Luton return to the Premier League soon, the defence seems to be the key area of investment upon return.
17th- Nottingham Forest
League position- 17th
My prediction- 14th
My first incorrect prediction seems to have overestimated Forest here, as in the end they scraped away from the relegation zone meaning they’ll spend a 3rd consecutive season in the Premier League since their return in 2022. This time around though, Forest were led away from a return to the championship by former Wolves and Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who seemingly still faces the challenge of winning over loyal “Cooperites” left in Nottingham who remain saddened and bitter over the pardoning of Steve Cooper’s duties last December.
Under Cooper, Forest played much more forward-thinking and positive football, which not only led them back to the Premier League in 2022 but saw them survive in 2023 with a season filled with famous wins against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and a 4-3 thriller against Southampton. In the later stages of 2023 though, after 1 in their last 10, Cooper was sacked and replaced with Nuno, with much backlash from the fans due to the countless memories Cooper had provided and with in recent times and the much more conservative brand of football he would bring.
In fairness, it was this brand of football that saw impressive wins against Newcastle and Manchester United in his first games, and helped Forest finish the season on a high with a 2-1 victory on the final day against Burnley. Once again, Morgan Gibbs-White impressed this season, with new additions such as Antony Elanga and Murillo also impressing for the Midlands outfit. There was also an impressive return to form for Chris Wood, who finished the season with 14 Premier League goals, his best return since the 2019/20 season where he also finished with 14 for Burnley.
16th- Brentford
League position- 16th
My prediction- 11th
Another unfortunate overestimation here, as this season Thomas Frank’s Brentford side slumped to 16th. Despite this lowly position, Brentford were never in any real danger of going down this season, ultimately finishing 13 points outside the relegation zone. Despite their clear safety, it was a fairly poor season for Brentford’s standard, even with the unfortunate absence of Ivan Toney in the first half of the season.
In January, I was confident that no only would Toney remain a Brentford player in the second half of the season, but that be would be able to come straight back into form and propel Brentford up towards the top 10, finishing on double figures for goals. Only one of these predictions would come true, as Toney would only score 4 and assist 2 in 17 games in the second half of the season, underperforming his expected goals as he finished the season on 6.0 xG. Fellow attacker Bryan Mbeumo would also under perform his xG too, finishing with 9 Premier League goals from 9.8 xG. This was not the case for Yoane Wissa however, who really helped steer Brentford away from any relegation scares with 12 goals and 3 assists from 10.6 xG.
Brentford continued to struggle defensively in the second half of the season, as Mark Flekken failed to impress in between the sticks for Brentford, conceding 65 goals from 55.4 post-shot expected goals. Ethan Pinnock also failed to recreate his solid form from last season, as record signing at the time Nathan Collins failed to maintain consistent form at the back for the Bees also.
This summer, the new record signing from Club Brugge Igor Thiago seems to affirm the belief in the club that Ivan Toney will depart at some point, but at time of writing links to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs continue to dwindle. Should he stay however, Brentford will have to do more than just improve offensively to avoid another low finish, as the midfield will need to recapture their form from last season as well as improve defensively also.
15th- Everton
League position- 15th
My prediction- 16th
In the end, it’s safety again for Everton, something that looked unsure for the Blues earlier in the season but thanks to the spirited tactics of Sean Dyche and individual moments of quality on the pitch for Everton, it will be another season in the Premier League for Everton.
On New Year’s Day, Everton sat just 1 point outside the relegation zone, and fans locked in for another second half of the season nervously entering through the gates at Goodison as their squad battled for survival in the Premier League.
Between that day and April 1st, Everton would fail to win a game in the league, before winning 4 games in that month against Burnley, Brentford, Forest and city rivals Liverpool, ending their title hopes. After snatching a point from Luton in May, a win against Sheffield United meant despite a final day loss to Arsenal, the Toffees would finish 14 points clear of the relegation zone.
England’s number 1 Jordan Pickford once again played a major part in Everton’s survival, maintaining a save percentage of 73.4% and conceding 51 goals from 52.4 post-shot expected goals. Former PSV defender Jarrad Branthwaite would also massively help Pickford this year, significantly improving Everton at the central defender spot replacing Michael Keane. Should Everton wish to improve next season, it’s the offence that will need the most surgery, as Portuguese striker Beto failed to impress with just 3 Premier League goals. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was once again Everton’s first choice striker as a result, but only scored 7 goals from 12.9 xG in the league this season. Furthermore, the end product on the wing may also need to improve, as despite energetic and impressive displays from the likes of Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison, a combined 6 goals from them both last season (3 each) leaves lots to be desired.
14th- Wolves
League position- 14th
My prediction- 13th
In the end, I was a whisker away from hitting the nail on the head here, as Gary O’Neill lead Wolves to a lower mid table position in 14th. Given my previous predictions of relegation before the start of the season, Wolves have exceeded my expectations and have played some real high quality football this season, and next season have some really solid foundations to build upon.
Despite injury on 2 occasions to standout attacker Hwang Hee-Chan in the new year (missing 13 games overall in the second half of the season), as well as exciting winger Pedro Neto sustaining injury in March that would see him miss the rest of the season, Wolves were able to avoid any recession down the table as players like Matheus Cunha stepped up- finishing the season with 19 goals and assists, scoring 12 goals from 9.5 xG- as well as a formidable midfield duo in now club captain Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes. Furthermore, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo formed a strong full back pairing as the likes of Toti Gomes and a 33-year-old Craig Dawson held it down at the back in front of Jose Sa.
A large contributor to Wolves’ defensive solidity was former captain Max Kilman, who has completed a move to West Ham this summer for 40 million pounds. Not only do Wolves loose a strong and central leader, but also loose a great defender that they will struggle to replace. Strong in the air and on the ground, Kilman was central to Gary O’Neill’s brand of football at Molineux and may have to rely on more than former Girona defender Santiago Bueno to fill his void.
13th- Fulham
League position: 13th
My prediction: 15th
By January, Fulham were in a strange place: league cup semi finals against Liverpool, but a mere 9 points away from safety, and generally looking much more dull and easier to beat than the season previous where they survived relegation.
The second half of the season would be a very mixed bag for the East London outfit, with many great victories against the likes of Manchester United at Old Trafford and an absolute demolition against Spurs at Craven Cottage. However, there were some really disappointing results in there too, including draws to Sheffield United and Burnley (where they conceded 3 at Bramall Lane) and losing to Forest 3-1 at the City Ground.
Fulham were momentarily able to keep hold of top midfielder Joao Palhinha, who completed his move to Bayern Munich this summer for 45 million pounds, which had failed to get through in the summer window in 2023 and the January transfer window in 2024. At time of writing, Fulham are on the verge of spending around 30 million of this fee on Arsenal attacker Emile Smith-Rowe, a confusing move given their abundance of wingers at the club with the likes of Willian, Harry Wilson, Alex Iwobi and new arrival Ryan Sessegnon, as well as the gapping hole Palhinha leaves at the heart of Fulham’s midfield the likes of Sasa Lukic, Tom Cairney and Harrison Reed will struggle to fill.
Should Fulham look to improve on their finish this season, they may need more than just an affordable Palhinha replacement (if such a player exists on the market at the minute), but more defensive ramifications and potentially more attackers if Rodrigo Muniz is unable to replicate his purple patch experienced from February onwards which saw him pick up March’s player of the month award.
12th- Bournemouth
League position: 12th
My prediction: 17th
I think I owe Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola a sincere apology. I was NOT familiar with their game.
In January, Bournemouth were a good 10 points clear from the relegation zone, and were no where near in threat of going down. I concluded that they were no better than Everton, Forest or Fulham, but clearly this was well wide of the mark as the south coast side stayed well clear of the relegation battle and merely finished outside the top 10 by only a point.
This was a clear season of change at Bournemouth, where under new ownership worth £100 million ambitious investment and change was enacted, as the club took the controversial decision to dismiss Gary O’Neill to appoint former Rayo Vallecano coach Andoni Iraola. A brave move that didn’t come without its critics both in the clubs following and outside of it, in the end it worked for all parties as O’Neill and Iraola are both flourishing at their new clubs and look forward to another year managing their respective sides in the Premier League.
Iraola introduced a much more stylish and polished brand of football on the south coast than O’Neill, putting more emphasis on the press and high quality yet patient build up play. At the end of these moves was the lethal Dominic Solanke, who was unfortunate to miss out on the England squad this summer in Germany following a season that saw him net 19 times in the league. Furthermore, Senesi had a quietly impressive season, finishing on a surprising 9 goals and assists in the league, more than teammates such as Justin Kluivert, Luis Sinisterra and Ryan Christie. Young fullback Milos Kerkez also had a great first season in English football, looking strong offensively and providing energy down the left for Bournemouth.
11th- Brighton
League position: 11th
My prediction: 9th
The end of Brighton’s European campaign definitely took the wind out of Brighton’s sails in the latter stages of the season. Despite a 1-0 win at The Amex in the second leg of their quarter-final tie against Roma, a heavy 4-0 defeat in Rome in the first leg saw Brighton bow out of their first time in European competition and ultimately fall no where near to a return to Europe for a second season.
After exiting the Europa League, Brighton would win just 1 of their final 10 Premier League games, beating Aston Villa 1-0. Whilst key departures like Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Robert Sanchez would’ve made it much more difficult for Brighton to compete this season, reinvestment hardly succeeded, as Bart Verbruggen failed to make the goalkeeping position his own as Jason Steele was mainly utilised as Roberto De Zerbi’s #1.
The minor midfield rebuild failed to come close to filling Mac Allister and Caicedo’s boots, as Carlos Baleba and former Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour failed to establish themselves in the first team, and free transfers James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud failing to make any real impact, so much so Dahoud would leave to Stuggart on loan in January. Perhaps this was the thinking behind signing Mats Weiffer from Feyenoord, in the hopes he can become the first choice midfielder for Fabian Hurzeler.
These failings in midfield meant in most games, Brighton were unable to establish the front-foot style of football that characterised their style in-possession last season that saw them reach the FA Cup semi final and helped get them into the Europa League. Caicedo’s fast-paced ball retention and recovery partnered with Mac Allister’s sharp and clinical passing range was never reciprocated this season, a key feature of Brighton this season that was missing from the season before.
Should Brighton ever wish to return to the dizzying heights they reached in 2023 under Hurzeler, not only will they need to embrace his new brand of football that utilises a 3 back in possession most times with wing backs bombing up and down the wings, which could held aid Tariq Lamptey’s return to form and could help elevate Pervis Estupinan to being considered as not just one of the best left backs in the league, but perhaps in the world.
10th- Crystal Palace
League position: 10th
My prediction: 12th
After thumping an already qualified Aston Villa side 5-0 on the final day of the season, Crystal Palace gave a firm statement to the fans that under Oliver Glasner, good times were coming to Selhurst Park and that no matter what the summer was to bring, Palace were building something to be a part of.
In January, experienced tactician Roy Hodgson remained in the hot seat at Crystal Palace, but come February, Palace were a mere 5 points outside the relegation zone and seemed to be on a downwards spiral, even with such talent at the club as Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Joachim Andersen and Marc Guehi. In stepped Europa League winner with Frankfurt, Oliver Glasner, who immediately set to work instilling vastly richer tactics in a Crystal Palace squad clearly brimming with talent.
After gaining his first win against Burnley just 5 days after his appointment, Palace’s run would faulter for a little while with losses against the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and Bournemouth, but Glasner’s hard work with Palace would come to a head after beating Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield with an intelligent and mature performance, ending Liverpool’s title hopes.
In the last 6 games of the season, Palace would go undefeated, winning 5 and drawing 1 and putting on 5 star performances with defensive rigour and attacking fluidity. As mentioned, they thrashed Villa 5-0 on the final day, as well as hitting 4 against Manchester United in a ruthless display that truly announced Glasner’s arrival in the Premier League.
Though a key cog in this offensive machine at the end of the season has now departed in Frenchman Michael Olise, Palace have still managed to retain key assets so far in the window as Marc Guehi following his impressive displays for England at the Euros, talented midfielder Eberechi Eze and French striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta, who hit a purple patch under Glasner (or maybe it was just that he started tucking his shirt in?) scoring 13 goals after his appointment, finishing the season with 16 overall.
9th- West Ham United
League position: 9th
My prediction: 10th
Just a smidgin off here, as David Moyes guided West Ham to a mid-table finish and, like De Zerbi, leaves his role failing to return his club back to Europe. Replacing Moyes is former Real Madrid and Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui, who will be tasked with taking the throne of the man who gave West Ham their first ever European trophy in 2023.
In January, I wrote about how West Ham suffered from inconsistency in the first half of the season, and this was something they were unable to shake in the second half of the season. Despite emphatic victories against the likes of Freiburg in the Europa League, Brentford and Everton, disappointing performances against the likes of Burnley, Fulham, Forest and Sheffield United ultimately hindered West Ham from pushing the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea (more on them soon) for those lucrative European places.
Another problem West Ham were unable to shake was the leaky defence, hence West Ham prioritised a move for a central defender this summer above any other position and payed £40 million for a former player of Lopetegui’s, Max Kilman. West Ham’s most common pairing was Nayaf Aguerd and former Chelsea and Stoke defender Kurt Zouma, who captained the side most games he started. Despite Zouma’s Premier League experience and Aguerd’s solid first season in English football, the duo failed to impress at the back this season, and if not for the presence of Edson Alvarez screening them in the 6 position this season, West Ham may not have finished as high as they did.
8th- Manchester United
League position: 8th
My prediction: 7th
Before writing about Manchester United’s mixed but overall triumphant season, I’d firstly like to comment on the picture above, and tip my hat to the photographer who took it, because as long as those 3 continue for the next 5, probably even 10 years, that image will not only remain iconic but relevant as ever. What a great commentary it acts as modern fandom too, as there are at least a dozen phones out in that picture capturing the moment forever instead of engaging in the momentary euphoria experienced after the goal.
Did Manchester United have a good season? Did they have a bad one? Do glorious wins against bitter rivals Liverpool and city rivals Manchester City at Wembley gloss over some terrible performances against the likes of Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Bournemouth and Copenhagen? In my opinion, no it does not. Whilst the aforementioned victories were stunning displays that will live in the minds of fans forever, it doesn’t take away from the fact that for every performance that secured this victories as well as other less thrilling but still impressive performances against the likes of Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa this season, there were turgid performances against the teams mentioned above.
Embarrassed in the Champions League from a group they really should have been qualifying out of, let alone getting grouped and dumped out of Europe all together: made to look like Salford City when they were battered 3-0 by Newcastle in the league cup at Old Trafford; countless performances in the league where they were out-fought, out-witted and overall outplayed; there was much concern for the Old Trafford faithful this season. While many fans will see stars in their eyes following the removal of the Glazers from power and replaced by Sir Jim Ratcliffe at the helm at the club and will look onwards and upwards to the future, they must remember nor what’s ahead of them, but what’s right in front of them.
Old Trafford seems to be falling apart at the seems, the training ground still outdated and withered from the celebrations of the past, Ten Hag still seems tactically inept and a side with many problems that INEOS cannot solve with a swipe of a magic transfer wand this summer, many problems still remain at Manchester United.
All is not doom and gloom on the red side of Manchester, though. Signings like Josh Zirkzee and Lenny Yoro seem to help develop a younger core in the squad with much more quality than options before (following the departures of Anthony Martial and the impending departure of Victor Lindelof), and Ten Hag now has figures like Ruud Van Nistelrooy behind him to aid him in the dugout.
7th- Newcastle United
League position: 7th
My prediction: 5th
Newcastle end the season very unlucky to miss out on European football, after Manchester United’s victory in the FA Cup final meant that they will be heading into the Europa league and Chelsea will enter the Europa Conference League instead of the Magpies next season. In the end, this may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Eddie Howe’s men, who may become dark horses for Champions League football without any focus on European competition.
Assuming they are able to keep hold of key assets like Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimarães ahead of next season, Newcastle will have a very strong squad heading into next season, and they continue to add to their squad depth with signings like Odysseas Vlachodimos and Lloyd Kelly replacing figures of a Newcastle side past in Paul Dummett and Martin Dubravka (who at time of writing is still a Newcastle player but is strongly linked with a move away this summer).
When Newcastle are at their best, their aggressive offensive style has been a joy to watch, enjoying emphatic victories so far in 2024 against the likes of Tottenham, Wolves, Sheffield United and bitter rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup.
Alexander Isak continues to thrust himself into conversations regarding the best striker’s in Europe (still behind the likes of Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and Osimhen however), delivering 21 goals in the league from 20.3 xG. His pace, power, height, intelligence and killer instinct makes him a nightmare for defenders across the country and a must-have for most FPL managers this summer. Especially given Haaland is £15 million (it’s just too much)
6th- Chelsea
League position: 6th
My prediction: 8th
Chelsea clutched a return to Europe this season, as they look set to endeavour into a Europa Conference League campaign they will surely be favourites in. This season, Chelsea have looked a lot more cohesive, as the now-gone Mauricio Pochettino led the Blues to some famous moments and established some key players that will surely play a role in any Chelsea side in years to come, regardless of what competitions they’re in and who sits in the dugout beneath the Stamford Bridge lights.
Chelsea’s greatest triumph this season undeniably comes in the form of Cole Palmer, who has now established himself as one of the league’s best attackers. While some expected Palmer to take his time getting into the Chelsea first team, Palmer truly made his presence known either on the right or in the 10. One of Chelsea’s unsung heroes was Malo Gusto though, who hasn’t received the praise he deserves holding down the right back position in the absence of club captain and Cobham graduate, Reece James.
While some fans are divided over who Chelsea’s starting right back should be under Maresca, I believe it would be unfair to throw Gusto out for James straight away, as despite James’ undeniable quality when he is fully fit and on form, Gusto was very impressive while he was away, remaining defensively solid and offering much offensively down the right and side, supporting Palmer and vice versa.
As lots continues to change at Chelsea this summer, on the pitch and off it, Chelsea will surely be aiming to not only return the club to the Champions League, but perhaps bring some silverware back to the Bridge after falling short in February at Wembley against Liverpool.
5th- Tottenham Hotspur
League position: 5th
My prediction: 4th
A return to the Champions League at the first time of asking was simply too much for Ange Postecoglou here, as his first season in the Premier League ended in a 5th place finish, something which Spurs may be frustrated with given the fingertips they were from a return to the competition, in the end finishing 2 points behind Aston Villa who take the 4th English spot in the competition this season.
Spurs were in the mix to virtually the final hurdle, after a tough run of fixtures saw them loose to Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea, North London rivals Arsenal before being taken out of the race by Manchester City on the penultimate game of the season where a 2-0 loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw them confined to a year in the Europa League rather than returning to the Champions League once again.
Overall, Tottenham’s season can generally still be considered a success, as they improved on their lowly 8th place finish in the 2022/23 season and built foundations for success in the future under Ange. While the Australian didn’t come without his critics, especially from the red side of North London, his appointment was more grounded and much more sensible compared to appointments post-Poch like Mourinho, Espirito Santo and Conte that focused on big names with a long CV rather than a positive brand of football fans will want to watch and will be happy to support, rather than the hard-line, conservative, “anti-football” that was played since Pochettino left Tottenham in November 2019.
Signings such as Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and Micky van de Ven impressed at the back for Spurs, while young players like Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson added youthful energy to the midfield and wide areas respectively. The experience of Heung-Min Son and Christian Romero (though it should be noted Romero is only 26) helped lead the Lilly Whites to impressive victories on the pitch too, blending nicely with the youth Ange instilled in the team this season to help beat sides like Brighton, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa 4-0 in their own back garden.
Spurs have a lot to look forward to under Ange, and if the higher-ups (most notably, Daniel Levy) are willing to show patience to the former Celtic manager, then silverware may finally makes it way back to their half of North London for the first time since 2008.
4th- Aston Villa
League position: 4th
My prediction: 6th
Aston Villa, take a bow. The owners who trusted and invested, the players who performed week in, week out, the backroom staff who nailed every tactic and the fans who relentlessly backed their side every moment of every match. This combination of will power, trust and belief meant that for the first time in their history, Aston Villa will take part in the Champions League (since it’s rebrand in 1992).
Villa have been one of the best teams to watch this season, looking confident, polished and energised. The Holte End has witnessed some marvellous wins this season, taking super teams like Arsenal and Manchester City and making them look like Sutton United (apologies to all at Sutton United).
Emi Martinez acted as a brick wall in goal, conceding 48 from 50.8 post-shot expected goals. In front of him was some elite protection though, as Pau Torres recaptured his impressive form at Villareal and formed a strong partnership at the back with both Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa. The now departed Douglas Luiz dominated the midfield for them, and leaves large boots for Amadou Onana to fill. Elsewhere in attack, Leon Bailey impressed with 19 goals and assists, and John McGinn continued to boss the Villa Park turf both centrally and out wide with his relentless energy and underrated on the ball quality.
While Villa may struggle to maintain challenging in Europe with competing for top 4 again, as well as competing in 2 cup competitions, they’ve been making all the right moves this summer, with squad depth being extended with the likes of Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene and Cameron Archer.
3rd- Liverpool
League position- 3rd
My prediction- 2nd
I think I need to throw my hands up for a moment here- I severely underrated this Arsenal side, and overrated Liverpool 2.0 this season. In January, whilst Liverpool looked well in the mix for a title challenge despite their season of transition, especially in midfield following the departure of club captain Jordan Henderson and midfield stalwart Fabinho, it may have been naive to believe that this new side that had finished 5th the season before and had experienced major surgery the summer previous was going to go on and push Manchester City until the last day. Despite this, Liverpool were playing some real high quality football, and although crashing out of Europe and eventually loosing Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season may have left a bitter taste of the season in some fans’s mouths, this season can be a season Liverpool fans look back on fondly.
2024 started with a bang for Liverpool, emphatically seeing of Newcastle 4-2 at Anfield to start the year, followed by a rigorous and hard-fought victory at the Emirates against Arsenal in the FA Cup. Though February would see Arsenal get their revenge in the league, it would end with silverware as Virgil Van Dijk scored to lift his first trophy as Liverpool captain.
While the season would waver from there, as a soul-shattering last-gasp defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup would seem to take the wind out of Liverpool’s sails as they quickly faded from the title race after defeats in the league to Crystal Palace and Everton, the season was able to end with smiles as Liverpool returned to the Champions League and the Klopp era bowed out with a final day win against Wolves.
Liverpool 2.0 saw 4 midfield signings last summer, the most successful of them being Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who was signed from Brighton for just £35 million pounds. Able to play in the 6, 8 or the 10 in midfield, Mac Allister really shone in Liverpool’s midfield with his sharp vision and wonderful passing range. The world cup champion clearly knows how to hit a ball too, as displayed against Sheffield United at Anfield.
2nd- Arsenal
League position- 2nd
My prediction- 3rd
Another year, and Arsenal end the season where they finished last season- 2nd behind Man City, unable to get their first league win in 20 years. Despite this, the Gunners still had a hell of a lot to write home about, and once again took significant strides under Mikel Arteta. Kai Havertz silenced doubters and produced a spell binding season, arguably his best in English football so far. New #1 David Raya was able to dismiss Aaron Ramsdale’s competition for the spot as the Spaniard established himself as Arteta’s go-to, and Declan Rice continued to show why he’s one of the best midfielders in the world.
Gabriel and William Saliba formed the world’s best centre-back partnership, as both dominated side by side whenever they lined up together. Strong, fast, intelligent and silky on the ball, it would be hard to argue that after this season, no centre back pairing is above them in world football.
This season, one player that was unable to improve on their performances last season was Gabriel Martinelli. A foot and and a hamstring injury would limit Martinelli’s minutes this season, but still gained 24 starts in the Premier League, scoring 6 and assisting 4 from 6.8 xG. Unlike the Arsenal of old, in stepped Leandro Trossard, who smashed his expected goals tally, finishing with 12 league goals from 7.9 xG. Trossard’s reliability has seen a limited amount of game time for former “starboy” Emile Smith-Rowe, who now seems on the verge of completing a move to Fulham at time of writing. After sustaining a knee injury in October that would leave him out until mid-December, Smith-Rowe would only start 2 more games at Arsenal, failing to contribute a goal or an assist and finishing the season with no goals and 1 assist. Fulham fans will be hoping that ESR can return to the form that saw him become a central figure for Arsenal in the 21/22 season, which saw him finish with 15 goals and assists in the league.
Arsenal continue to upgrade their side this summer, as young Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori joins from Bologna to seemingly replace Oleksandr Zinchenko at left back, while rumours persist regarding Thomas Partey’s departure from the club and former Dortmund and Newcastle Mikel Merino’s potential move into the club to replace him as a midfield option
1st- Manchester City
League position: 1st
My prediction: 1st
Once again, Manchester City are crowned champions of England, as they once again entered machine-mode and ensured that despite Arsenal’s 8 wins and 1 draw in their last 10, this would be in vain as City would- of course they would- win 9 and draw 1, only drawing 0-0 with Arsenal at the Emirates in their final 10 also.
City have this natural, raw ability to realise that come March, there’s a title that needs to return to Manchester, and that unless by some miracle you’ve gained at least a 5 point gap on them by the start of March, any stumble would be capitalised on, as Arsenal cruelly discovered after loosing to Villa in April as Liverpool did in May 2022 after drawing 2-2 to Tottenham at Anfield.
These are rarely scrappy, plucky wins either: in their last 10 games, they scored at least 4 in 6 of these games, mercilessly thrashing any team that sought to prevent them lifting a Premier League trophy with sky blue ribbons on them. To wrap the league up, a mature and dominant performance saw them take all 3 points from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before wrapping up the title as all knew they would with an emphatic 3-1 win over West Ham on the final day at the Etihad.
City lacked in no department this year, as the likes of Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias continued to keep City calm and composed at the back, conceding just 33 goals, the joint fewest with Newcastle. In midfield, Rodri continued to show why he’s arguably the best midfielder in the world, seamlessly screening the defence and acting as the beating heart of City’s brand of football as if it was his second nature. Haaland, Foden and Alvarez continued to act as monsters in attack also, as between the 3 of them they scored a combined 57 goals. Unreal.
Individual awards
Top scorer
Winner: Erling Haaland
My prediction: Erling Haaland
This was a fairly simple one, wasn’t it? While the Norwegian was surrounded by new competition this season with the likes of former teammate Cole Palmer and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, it was Haaland who took home the golden boot for the second consecutive season.
New adjectives continue to run in short supply to describe this phenomenon, as the more we see from him, the more one can become convinced that there is very little he lacks as a striker in Pep’s system. One element of his game is his off the ball work though, constantly using his intelligence and pace to make marauding runs in behind the defence, before normally coolly slotting home.
Top Playmaker/ most assists
Winner: Ollie Watkins
My prediction: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Ollie Watkins took home the best playmaker award this season, finishing on 13 assists resulting in a combined 31 goal and assist season for the former Brentford star. This season has been a resounding triumph from Ollie Watkins, from the hat-trick against Brighton to his winner for his nation in a Euros semi-final.
This award signifies that Watkins is more than just a lethal striker too though, and acts as a reminder of his impressive on the ball abilities. Watkins produced a shot-creating action every 32 minutes on average for Villa this season, displaying his presence in every game and how he was making it known to the Villa faithful.
Golden Glove
Winner: David Raya
My prediction: Alisson
Remaining sensible in this prediction served me no victory here, as it was Arsenal’s new number 1 David Raya who took the award home.
Raya’s transfer didn’t come without its critics initially, as many questioned wether he was truly an improvement on Aaron Ramsdale, as many fans and pundits questioned what Ramsdale has done to warrant being replaced after 2 impressive seasons under Arteta.
Ultimately, Arteta needed to be cut through in order to nurture his brand of football, taking emotion and performance level out of the equation in order to enhance the system, as his brand of football required the ‘keeper to be efficient in distribution, an area Ramsdale lacked in. Raya improved Arsenal in this area, finishing the season with an impressive 98.7% short passing accuracy rate, 99% in medium passing accuracy rate and 41.7%. This was an improvement on Ramsdale’s stats in the same areas last season, especially a 6% increase in the long passing department.
Player of the Season
Winner: Phil Foden
My prediction: Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland failed to go back to back in this award this year, as his teammate Phil Foden took home the award this year. He’ll just have to do with the back to back winner’s medals and golden boot’s unfortunately.
Foden continued to take strides this season, dominating the wings and the 10 position whenever he entered the pitch for City. He smashed his xG tally too this season, scoring 19 league goals from 10.3 xG. He averaged 5.62 progressive passes per 90 this season and 2.95 progressive carries per 90 also, clearly displaying his creativity and central role in City’s 4th consecutive title win.
Young Player of the Season
Winner: Cole Palmer
My prediction: William Saliba
Following a spellbinding debut season at Chelsea, Palmer officially announced himself to the Premier League with a staggering 33 goals and assists in 33 games, dragging Chelsea from 12th-place mediocracy to 6th place and much better foundations for Maresca to build upon next season.
These contributions earned Chelsea 26 points, and meant that without him, Pochettino’s men would have finished 16th. This led to Pochettino rallying his players around the plea to show the world that they are Chelsea Football Club, not just Cole Palmer FC.
Goal of the Season
Winner: Alejandro Garnacho vs Everton
My prediction: Alejandro Garnacho vs Everton
Of course it was. And deservedly so. Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho took home the goal of the season award, beating out some other wonder strikes like Alexis Mac Allister vs Fulham and Kaoru Mitoma’s insane solo run against Wolves. A goal you could watch on repeat, Garnacho had a a season to remember at Old Trafford for more than just this goal, contributing 11 goals and assists combined and cementing himself as a first team regular at Old Trafford.
And that’s all she wrote! It was incredible season, and with many eagerly anticipating the start of the season soon, stay tuned for my full league predictions from day 1, not just halfway through. Thanks for reading.
