Chelsea
Chelsea sat atop the Premier League table with only five
matches remaining in their league campaign. They faced the challenge of being
the last remaining English team in the UEFA Champions League. What ensued over
the final five weeks of the season was a series of underwhelming performances
that highlighted some glaring weaknesses within the Chelsea squad.
Following a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Chelsea still had
ample opportunities to steal the Premier League title. They saw off Stoke City
and eked by Swansea thanks to a timely Demba Ba goal. As the squad faced the
pressures of facing Atletico Madrid in the Champion’s League semi-final,
Chelsea stumbled against bottom of the table Sunderland who defeated them 2-1
at Stamford Bridge. This defeat ended Jose
Mourinho’s home unbeated streak with
Chelsea that stretched back to his first tenure with the club. Chelsea then won
an inspiring performance at Anfield against Liverpool thanks to a timely Steven
Gerrard slip.
After suffering another disappointing defeat at the Bridge
to Atleti, Chelsea again faltered, this time in a scoreless draw against
Norwich. During this stretch of negative performances Chelsea adopted their
trademark “park the bus” tactics against Madrid, but failed to adapt against
smaller opposition. Their lack of killer instinct in the attacking third, the
lack of a world class striker, and the untimely injury of Petr Cech forced
Chelsea to play a lineup that featured as many as six defenders. The real lack
of a Plan B and their inability to comply with the physical and mental demands
necessary of keeping a clean sheet in every match were the main reasons for
their late season stumble.
Jose Mourinho already looks poised to sell off the enigmatic
defender David Luiz, and should use funds from that transfer to acquire the
services of Spanish striker Diego Costa. Jose Mourinho will be determined to
correct his first ever finish outside of the top 2, Chelsea should be right
back at the top next season.
Arsenal
Arsenal enjoyed the most days at the top of the Premier
League table of any team in the competition. However, when it came down to
Championship Sunday, Arsenal finished well outside the title picture in fourth.
Arsenal began the season, a team on fire, scoring goals in all but one of their
first 14 matches. After December struggles which included a 6-3 defeat against
champions Manchester City and a pre-Christmas scoreless draw with Cheslea,
Arsenal rebounded with five consecutive wins.
Fortune then turned its back on Arsenal in February when the
club would win only two of the next nine matches, in a stretch that continued
until early April. Injuries plagued the club, with crucial players like Aaron
Ramsey and Theo Walcott both suffering major injuries that saw them miss
significant time. The defense, which was one of the league’s strongest in the
early stages was exploited by Liverpool who scored five and Chelsea who ran up
six goals on the Gunners. Arsenal eventually ducked their poor run of form and
finished strongly with five consecutive wins, which was enough to fend off
Everton for the final Champion’s League slot.
Overall, Arsenal fans can view this season as a lost
opportunity, although it may ultimately be successful depending on the outcome
of Sunday’s FA Cup Final against Hull City. If they are victorious, it will be
the club’s first piece of silverware in nearly nine years. Arsene Wenger’s role
in the club was questioned in the second half of the season as were the
performances of summer arrival Mesut Ozil, whose performances fell off
significantly in the latter stages of the season. Success or failure, Arsenal
will need to improve next season if Arsene wishes to continue as the Premier
League’s longest tenured manager.
Tottenham
Tottenham’s season began with the departure of Gareth Bale,
whose record breaking transfer fee allowed Spurs to import a total of seven
players during the summer transfer window. With the level of squad turnover
that the club faced, it is no wonder that the club struggled to find form in
the early stages of the season. However, club officials felt differently and
halfway through December, Andre Villas-Boas was sacked from his second Premier
League job.
Tim Sherwood took the reins following AVB’s departure and
reinstituted Emmanuel Adebayor as the team’s main striker. Adebayor immediately
returned the favor and would go on to become the club’s leading goal scorer on
the season, celebrating many of his goals with a salute to the manager.
Tottenham may not have found immediate success with their injection of new
blood, but with an average squad age of only 26.3 years this is certainly a
squad with an eye for the future.
Curiously enough, Tim Sherwood’s impressive win ratio and
his player’s affection for him were not enough to earn the English manager a
full season at the helm. Chairman Daniel Levy sacked Sherwood yesterday even
after a report that several club stars came forward pledging to leave the club
if Sherwood received the sack. The chairman cited poor results against the
top-3 sides as reasons for his dismissal, but it is a move that will certainly
draw criticism because of Sherwood’s familiarity with the squad.
West Ham
Jose Mourinho’s comments after Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with West
Ham highlight the ugliness of West Ham’s season better than I ever could.
Stoke City
Stoke City has massively improved from the perceived
ugliness that they exemplified under Tony Pulis, however they still have a long
way to go if they are going to make a challenge for European competition in the
following season. Mark Hughes improved the club significantly in his first year
in charge. His January transfer swap for Peter Odemwingie allowed the club
adopt a new formation that proved to be influential when the club found form in
the spring.
Captain Ryan Shawcross remains one of the strongest leaders in
the Premier League and the club’s backbone. Peter Crouch, despite finding
himself out of the England setup, continues to bag goals with regularity and
lead the club with eight goals during the campaign. Newcoming defender Erik
Pieters had a solid first season in the Premier League, but it was not enough
to earn him a coveted position on the Dutch team going to Brazil. The Brittania
Stadium will remain a nightmare for opposing teams to visit and under the
leadership of Hughes, look for Stoke City to improve next season.
Swansea
Swansea faced the challenge of competing in the Europa
League along with the Premier League this season, something that had not
happened since 1992. The club were led by the mercurial Wilifried Bony who
scored a 16 goals in the league and 25 in all competitions. Bony is a
tremendously talented player that often does not get the recognition that he
deserves, which is common in a squad that features unheralded stars like Michel
Vorm, Leon Britton, and Michu.
Swansea struggled to cope with the demands of competing on
multiple fronts and this was displayed during two stretches of the Premier
League season. From early December to later January, Swansea went winless in
eight matches, a streak that saw Michael Laudrup get the sack. His replacement
Garry Monk faced a similar run in which Swansea won only two of their first ten
matches under his leadership. Fortunately for Swansea fans, they found form in
mid-April winning three of their final four, lifting the club to a 12th
place finish. With European competition out of the picture next season, Swansea
could take advantage and move up the table.
Hull City
Steve Bruce is lucky that his club managed to find their way
to the FA Cup Final. Without the possibility of lifting a piece of silverware
at the end of the season, Bruce surely would have been shown the door after a
dreadful run of form in the spring. After spending the majority of the season
solidly in the middle of the table, Hull City steadily moved down the table in
the latter stages before finishing just four points above the relegation zone.
West Brom
West Brom can serve as yet another cautionary tale for
English clubs on the dangers of managerial instability. The Baggies earned
their safety thanks to a late season 1-0 win over West Ham. Former Everton
striker Victor Anichebe’s contribution in his first season with the club was
underwhelming. The club also sparked international controversy thanks to
Nicolas Anelka’s “quenelle” celebration, something described as a reverse Nazi
salute. The FA responded by handing Le Sulk a five match ban, the club
subsequently lost sponsors, and Anelka’s contract was terminated. A proper
response to a gesture that has no place in decent human society.
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