Until the start of the new "Premier" league season, there is just over a month left, and the past year was truly intriguing. The positions of many clubs in the league table changed drastically, club revenues increased even more, and high-level players and coaches arrived. For these and many other reasons, the English championship was the most-watched in the world again, so it is really interesting to remember the 2016-17 season and think about the reasons why some teams did better than others. The most popular Lithuanian football news portal Eurofootball.com will help you do this. First part of the review: London is blue Second part of the review: the "leaves" fall and Guardiola's project
Before the start of the season, "Manchester United" said goodbye to Louis van Gaal and took a risky step in appointing the former coach of "Chelsea," Jose Mourinho, as the head coach. However, Mourinho's past achievements and consistent team management convinced the club's leadership, and the manager started serious work that same summer. His first purchase was center-back Eric Bailly, followed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and a record 89 million pounds was paid for Paul Pogba. In the first few games, everything looked great - the team reached three wins before the Manchester derby and shared the top spot on the league table. However, it was the loss to "Man City" that started to expose all the weaknesses that could not be fixed during one offseason. "Man United" players, despite Ibrahimovic's arrival, struggled in attack and, up until December, played five matches as draws, suffering failures in defense against both the aforementioned "City" and "Watford" and "Chelsea." However, Mourinho managed to organize the game in his half of the field, and from October to the end of April, the team did not suffer any losses. Of course, during this period, they had 12 draws, but the "Red Devils" managed to stay in the top four until the crucial stage of the season. During that time, the coach complained about the players' fatigue because "Man United" had already won the EFL Cup and later the UEFA Europa League, so under the guise of these reasons, the team was raised a white flag in the battle for the prize-winning places. The hosts of the "Old Trafford" stadium eventually took the seventh position in the English championship. One of the main reasons for such a low final position was the aforementioned attacking problems, as evidenced by the fact that the team's main striker was a 35-year-old veteran. Wayne Rooney's best years were also in the past, and young talents like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial did not receive enough trust from the coach to become leaders. On the other hand, "Man United" can be happy that they conceded very few goals in the Premier League. This should be a starting point for the next season.
The composition of "Middlesbrough" looked pretty good in the 2015-16 season when the club did not hide its ambitions to return to the Premier League. They succeeded after an eight-year break, and during the summer transfer window, coach Aitor Karanka acquired a bunch of new players, including Martin de Roon, who cost 12 million pounds, and well-known players like Victor Valdes and Alvaro Negredo. In August, newcomers did not lose a single game in three matches and really could be happy with their start. However, after the next seven games, earning just two points showed that "Boro" would only fight for survival this season, as they did not pose a significant threat to their opponents in the attack, and the defense did not always work perfectly. "Middlesbrough" achieved three wins before New Year's and performed decently in those games. However, 2017 was simply tragic for this club. They started with two draws, so everything did not look too bad, but it became clear that one point per game was the limit for "Middlesbrough." The team's attack was completely lacking even against not the most powerful London clubs such as "Crystal Palace" and "Stoke City," where they didn't score any goals. On March 16, Karanka was finally fired from his duties while "Boro" found themselves in the relegation zone for the first time. Taking over the coach's duties, Steve Agnew could not save the team either. They did not score points against main rivals, suffered seven losses in the remaining 11 games, and finished the season in 19th place. It is somewhat ironic that the mostly praised defenders in the relegated teams were Ben Gibson and Callum Chambers – probably because "Boro's" attack was simply too poor even in successful matches. "Middlesbrough" became the team that conceded the fewest goals even though they scored even fewer than the 9th placed "Bournemouth."
"Southampton," known for selling players to the richest English clubs, last summer said goodbye not only to leaders Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama but also to head coach Ronald Koeman. Claude Puel, his replacement, acquired Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Sofiane Boufal to fill the missing void. However, they really didn't seem to have the same ability as before, and the "Saints" started the season with their first victory against "Swansea" in the fifth round. This was followed by a solid streak until the end of October, when the club climbed to eighth place, but then losses followed again, one of which was experienced against "Hull City." Southampton's game last season was truly best described by different periods and inconsistency. On the other hand, this can be somewhat justified by player injuries. The main center-back, Virgil van Dijk, did not play after the 23rd round, while full-backs Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares missed 10 and 8 games respectively. Injured Charlie Austin also left the "Saints" without a real striker for some time. It was only when five losses were suffered in six matches in winter that "Southampton" acquired Manolo Gabbiadini, who joined the team on the last day of the transfer window. The club from the south of England finished the season in a pretty high eighth position, but its leaders would certainly like to see better results, even though only the wealthiest have been placed ahead. For this reason, it was decided to part ways with Puel, who was replaced by Mauricio Pellegrino. This manager will try to solve the team's attacking problems as they were the most painful last season. If the "Saints" managed to show good defense even without key players, then they scored fewer goals than even the teams at the bottom of the league.
For the last two seasons before that, the club remaining in ninth place, "Stoke City," perhaps secretly hoped to climb higher this year. For this purpose, they acquired a group of pretty capable newcomers, including Joe Allen, Wilfried Bony, Lee Grant, Bruno Martins Indi, and Ramadan Sobhi. However, the poor form of the "potters" that ended the previous years on a high note continued when they earned just two points and conceded 15 goals in the first seven games. This meant that by the end of September, "Stoke" was in the relegation zone. Concerned about being at the bottom of the league table, Mark Hughes, the coach, managed to level with the "Manchester United" and ultimately beat "Sunderland," "Hull," "Swansea," "Watford," and "Burnley." In December, the team was already in the usual position. "Stoke" relaxed during the Christmas period again, conceding three goals against the "Arsenal" and four against the "Liverpool" and "Chelsea," along with two draws. It prompted them to finally acquire Saido Berahino, who had been sought after for many years, but the new "potters" striker did not help discover his playing form. In the second half of the season, "Stoke" achieved only six wins - all against teams below them. Berahino was truly acquired for a reason because the team had more trouble finding a way to the opponents' goal than defending – the majority of the goals were conceded simply overwhelmingly lost to the most powerful clubs. However, the new "potters" striker did not really stand out even once, and the most productive player, with seven goals, was the 36-year-old veteran Peter Crouch. "Stoke City" finished in 13th place.
It is clear that "Sunderland" will be one of the main favorites for relegation almost every season, but the "Black Cats" have been playing in the Premier League for 10 years in a row. To further extend this streak, they welcomed even 11 new players last summer, among whom over 13 million pounds were paid for Didier N'Dong and 8 million pounds for Papy Djilobodji. Meanwhile, three loaned players arrived from giants like "Man United," "Man City," and Madrid's "Atletico." Nevertheless, the "Sunderland" squad still seemed weak by "Premier" league standards, and this season the club started with just two points in the first ten rounds. In November, after achieving the first victory against "Bournemouth," it was followed by the second victory against "Hull City," but the "Black Cats" were already deeply in the relegation zone. Hopes of digging themselves out emerged after two more wins in December, but "Sunderland" still entered the New Year in 18th place. It later became clear that they were supposed to celebrate with this result because during the second half of the season, David Moyes' disciples fell even deeper. Looking back, the coach's statement that his lineup was too poor is truly not surprising. In the second half of the championship season, "Sunderland" suffered 12 failures. It is not worth looking for exceptional reasons for Moyes' poor team's game because almost nothing worked out for these players on the field. They were second from the back in terms of goals scored, third from the back in terms of conceded goals, and finished the season in the last place. The 17th remaining "Watford" picked up 14 more points than "Sunderland," so by spring, the "Black Cats" practically had no chance. The only positive thing worth mentioning is the play of veteran Jermain Defoe, who has already fled to "Bournemouth."
