A Wrap on the 2021/22 Premier League Season

That’s a wrap! Cancellation of games due to outbursts of COVID-19 cases among the players, an Arabian takeover at Newcastle, big transfer spending disappointments, Spiderman celebrations, the downfall of Man United, Chelsea ownership in turmoil, heartfelt hugs for Eriksen, a joint  win for both the Golden Boot and the Golden Glove, a heart-warming farewell to Mr West Ham and potentially two of the best Premier League sides in history delivering a nail-biting last day of the season – the 2021/22 Premier League season has come to an end.

Taking a glance at the top  six of the 2021/22 season, one might not be too surprised with the names they see. However, it might seem more surprising when you take a step back and look at the performance of some of those teams this season. Starting with our top two showstoppers, Liverpool and Man City – nobody can argue that these two teams don’t thoroughly deserve their position as second and first respectively. With Man City going into the final day of the season only one point ahead of Liverpool, the Quadruple chasing scousers really did show Man City that it’s not over until it’s over. However, three goals in the space of five minutes from the title holders put a nervy City side back into the driving seat. Regardless of the result, these two sides continue to make history in the Premier League.

 

Coming in at third, in my opinion, Chelsea, despite the struggles it has faced as a club this season have carried themselves well. Not an impressive season for them by their own standards, but definitely impressive in the midst of such an uncertain season. I dare say not many other clubs would have been able to manage a Super Cup and Club World Cup trophy and secure third place in the league during the chaos that Chelsea have had to endure.

The race for Champions League football this season seems to have been a two-team race between Arsenal and Tottenham. Both teams have had a rollercoaster of a season in terms of form, both struggling to maintain a run of wins. I think the individual quality up-front in the Spurs team and the final Derby day defeat of Arsenal, just about tipped Spurs into the top four. Having said that, I think Mikel Arteta’s team are one to watch next season, especially with their return to Europa League football.

 

[Spurs players celebrate their Derby day victory over Arsenal]

For me, despite securing a top six place in the league, Man United have been the worst team in the Premier League this season. Not least because of their disappointing performances but their attitude as a team this season has been abysmal. Even club legends have made clear their distaste for Man United this season, some more scathing than others, with Gary Neville labelling the side “a poor example to young people” and “an embarrassment”. I think this season has really been a rock bottom kind of moment for Man United – and when I say that I mean for the fans mostly. Imagine watching your team walking around the field against the likes of Chelsea or feeling the need to leave Old Trafford mid-game due to the lack of work ethic shown by your team. A lot of commentators this season have labelled Man United’s problems as mainly attitude based, but I think that Erik ten Hag has a fierce amount of work to do on their attitude and form alike if he is to return the Red Devils to their glory days.

   

[Man United fans leaving Old Trafford during their 4-0 loss to Liverpool]

The other two sides to make the top 8 this season are West Ham and Leicester, coming seventh and eight respectively in the Premier League. West Ham have been an absolute pleasure to watch all season; not least because of the individual quality that West Ham possess in the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Declan Rice and Michail Antonio but the way they conduct themselves as a team is something to be in awe of, and something I dare say some of the other teams in the league can learn from. A well deserved excel into the Europa League semi-final and an eye-watering farewell to Mr West Ham - Mark Noble, saw West Ham’s solid season come to an end. Leicester on the other hand have had a less than impressive season. Slipping from fifth to eight place, suffering an early knock-out in the FA cup and losing their chance for European football next season, the vast amount of injuries and their inability to defend from set pieces has seen Leicester’s season come to a disappointing end.

 

[Mark Noble waves to West Ham fans for the last time]

Many of the usual suspects such as Brighton, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa occupied the mid-table spots, neither challenging the top end of the table nor being threatened by relegation. The most notable at the middle of the table by far though is Brentford who came 13th in their first ever season as a Premier League team. Brentford welcomes Christian Eriksen back to the Premier League following his cardiac arrest during the Euros last summer and Thomas Frank and his team have since shown everybody that they do indeed deserve their place in the Premier League and have no intention of going back to Championship football any time soon.

 

[Eriksen celebrating with Brentford fans]

Scrappy and determined are two words that I think are fitting for Everton’s performance this season – however, I’m guessing that some people would disagree with that statement. After the amount of money that Everton have invested in the club over the last few years, maybe you would expect them to be doing a lot better than they have and certainly be nowhere near the relegation battle - this being the closest they have come to relegation since the 2003/04 campaign. However, I think that although a lack of usual quality seems to have been apparent this season, no one can fault the Toffees on their passion to stay in the Premier League. Perhaps Frank Lampard’s appointment came too late in the season for Everton. Or did it? He did oversee their 1-0 victory against his old Chelsea side, and he ultimately managed to keep them in the division. I’ll say it again, scrappy and determined wins it for the Toffees.

 

[Pitch invasion at Goodison Park after Everton win 3-2 against Crystal Palace to take them out of relegation danger]

Leeds, I dare say have been unlucky to find themselves in the relegation battle this season. Injuries to Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Philips and their captain Liam Cooper have left them with a strained team that has impacted their position in the table adversely. Nonetheless, Leeds truly out did themselves on the final day of the season when they clawed their way out of relegation through a Raphinha penalty and an added time goal by Harrison that just about secured their place in the Premier League and saw Burnley relegated back to the Championship for the first time in 6 seasons. 

 

[Raphinha crowd surfs after Leeds avoids relegation on the last day of the season]

It is less of a surprise on the other hand to see two of our ‘yoyo’ clubs, Watford and Norwich return back to Championship football next season. A record run of ten home defeats in a row could be seen as the determining factor for Watford’s relegation, and a lack of quality and belief at Norwich solidified their position at bottom of the table. 

All in all, the Premier League 2021/22 season has definitely had its fair share of ups and downs and has certainly provided us all with an abundance of entertainment. Now, it’s time to close the curtains on the 2021/22 season and look ahead to next season.