As the season came to a thrilling close on Sunday, it's time to look back on what some say was the most exciting season of English football in history. It really did have it all - the title race came down to the last minute (literally) between two arch-rival clubs, there were constant news stories throughout the season, of both good and bad nature, and, as I have not forgotten, an English team representing the league in the Champions League final. I'd like to look back on some of the predictions I made at the beginning and mid-way point and see how right or wrong I was.
Title Prediction: Manchester City
Title Winner: Manchester City
Right on point here, I took City to win the title after their spending spree has helped the team evolve from a mid-table side into a champion in three years. City were on top for the majority of the season, and their ride through the season was an encapsulation of the league as a whole. After a blazing start and a 6-1 rout of Manchester United, it seemed like Mancini had finally pushed the right buttons for City and they would run away with the title. Then, injuries and drops in form led to a descent down from the top, and United opened up an eight point lead, leaving City's title ambitions as all-but-lost. But then, another change as City closed the gap with a win over their rivals. And last, but not least, a 2-1 deficit to QPR left City on the brink with five minutes of stoppage time to turn it round, which they incredibly did. What a title run, and what a season for Manchester City. You can't say they didn't deserve it after scoring the most goals and conceding the fewest. United were fantastic in the second half of the season, but their two losses to City and their 4-4 draw with Everton did them in by the slimmest of margins.
Top 4 Prediction: Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool
Top 4: Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham
As mentioned above, I was correct with my expectation for Man City and pretty close on United as well. However, Chelsea finished in sixth while Liverpool finished eighth. Chelsea improved under Roberto Di Matteo, but could not recover a top-4 place in the league, and must win Saturday's final in Munich to qualify for next season's Champions League. After finishing second last year, this can certainly be viewed as underachievement, but a win in Saturday's final would secure two trophies, including the most important one to owner Roman Abramovich, and qualification for the UCL. The final will determine whether Chelsea's season has been a great success or sub-par. Liverpool strengthened their squad this summer with a number of additions, hoping to push for a top-4 finish. To say they were never close is an understatement, as Stuart Downing, Jordan Henderson, and Charlie Adam in particular were very poor. They did manage to win the Carling Cup and make the final of the FA Cup, but those achievements are not good enough for a club of Liverpool's stature. Kenny Dalglish is set to leave the club and the Reds will have to start all over again this summer. Arsenal had another strong season after a slow start, and despite a number of key injuries, survived the marathon in third place. Props to the Gunners because they survived quite a bit of adversity this season, although it again ended trophy-less. Spurs are back in the top-4, and they likely have the most at stake with Saturday's final, as they will gain a place in the Champions League with a Chelsea loss. If the Blues win, Spurs could be looking at losing Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, which could decimate the club. However, Spurs were strong for most of the season, and despite the mid-season dip in form, recovered to win three of their last four to take fourth.
"Team to Rise Up the Table" Prediction: QPR
Teams to Rise the Most Up the Table: Everton, Fulham
QPR was in 17th place when I predicted them to recover from an early season slide and finish mid-table. Well, they finished 17th. They never were able to keep all of their players on the pitch consistently enough (nine red cards this season) and survived relegation by the skin of their teeth. I still believe QPR have a better squad than 17th in the league, and I'm sure they will invest this summer, so I think they could have a bright future. But it wasn't to be this year. Everton and Fulham were both languishing in the lower half of the table, yet finished seventh and ninth respectively. Everton has gained a reputation for starting slowly and picking it up towards the end of the season. In the first half of the season, the Toffees lost home games to QPR (17th), Stoke (14th) and Bolton (18th), while in the second half of the season, Everton defeated City (1st), Chelsea (6th), Tottenham (4th) and Newcastle (5th) at Goodison. The signing of Nikita Jelavic from Rangers proved to be a huge acquisition, as he was fantastic for the entirety of his time in a blue shirt. Fulham's recovery was led by Clint Dempsey, who led the Cottagers in scoring. Fulham finished a place lower than last season under Mark Hughes, but finished with three more points. Again they were tough at home, securing ten wins and five draws from nineteen home games. Dempsey looks likely to leave in the summer, but Fulham have enough talent to stay in the top half of the league.
"Team to Fall Down the Table" Prediction: Newcastle United
Team to Drop the Most Down the Table: Aston Villa
Again, this is one that went completely wrong. Like many others, I figured the Premier League would catch up to Newcastle eventually, but the signing of Papiss Cisse helped keep Newcastle in the top of the table, actually finishing one place higher than at mid-season. I must give Newcastle a lot of credit, as they played attractive, positive football all season and Ben Arfa, Ba and Cisse scored some stunning goals. If Alan Pardew can keep his team together, and maybe add one more piece, this could be a top-four side next year. As for the Villans, it was a horror show for nearly the whole season, but the second half was the most pathetic from the club in quite some time. The stats tell it all. Villa scored just thirty-seven goals this year, which is less than one a game and the second-fewest in the league (one more than Stoke). Villa failed to win any of their last ten games, drawing five and losing five, while scoring just six goals. Truly awful, and not what a club that has been a mainstay in the top half of the table is going to accept. Giving Alex McLeish the sack made fans very happy, as they hope to bring in a coach with a more positive approach. There is still a decent amount of talent in the squad, but the tactics were all wrong and it made for a dreadfully boring episode.
So some right and some wrong. It was a whacky season so that must be taken into account. My early hunch for next season is for City to retain their title. They will strengthen the squad in the summer and now have the experience of winning. It could be a dominant next few years from the club as Man Utd and Chelsea see their top players get older and older. But lastly for the 2011-12 season, the awards:
Player of the Year: Robin Van Persie.
No doubt here. RVP scored thirty goals in the league, including two hat-tricks. He is the primary reason Arsenal are in the top four, and without him, Arsenal are likely slightly higher than mid-table. If there has ever been a player that a team leaned on so much throughout a season, and was able to deliver, it was Van Persie. Arsenal will struggle to keep him with other top sides knocking on the door, along with their own trophy-less run extending yet another season. But Wenger must do all he can to keep his star forward, because his departure would severely weaken the Gunners.
Manager of the Year: Roberto Mancini.
Mancini gets the Manager of the Year award because of the adversity City went through this year. Alan Pardew deserves quite a bit of praise because Newcastle were not expected to challenge in the top half of the table, but the various incidents at City this year, which resulted in a title, gives it to Mancini. First of all, any manager that is able to get more positive than negative out of Mario Balotelli, which Mancini did for a good part of the season, deserves some kind of award. Then, the Carlos Tevez affair which threatened to tear the club apart, Mancini handled well and was able to even integrate him back into the team. Lastly, he was able to out-wit Sir Alex Ferguson with his mind games by constantly stating his team as the underdogs. After losing a large lead in the league and facing an eight-point deficit to United, Mancini's men resembled "same old City." But not this year, as they won the title, and he deserves much of the credit.
Team of the Year: Newcastle United.
This award is where I will give Newcastle its due as it was clearly the surprise of the season. Alan Pardew made some great signings, specifically in Yohann Cabaye and Demba Ba, which did not cost the club much. The two players proved to be of the most influential on the pitch when they played. The January signing of Papiss Cisse was also a masterstroke, as he scored thirteen goals in the second half of the season. A Europa league birth seems a bit disappointing after challenging the top-four for so long, but it was a great season for Newcastle. They will hope to keep Ba and Cisse together because they have the ability to strike at any time.
Well, that does it. Champions League Final preview also coming this week. Boy, I can't wait..
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