Until the start of the new Premier League season, there is just over a month left, and last year was truly intriguing. Positions of many clubs on the tournament table changed drastically, club revenues increased even more, and top-level players and coaches came to them.
For these and many other reasons, the English championship was again the most watched in the world, so it is really interesting to remember the 2016-17 season and think about the reasons why some teams performed better than others. This will be helped by the most popular Lithuanian football news portal Eurofootball.com.
The London club Arsenal finished second in the 2015-16 season and the Premier League title seemed within reach. Therefore, during the break, new players in three most needed positions were acquired: central defender Shkodran Mustafi, holding midfielder Granit Xhaka, and striker Lucas Perez. A total of more than £80 million was spent on these transfers.
After not having their full lineup due to the European Championship, the Gunners lost 4-3 to Liverpool in the opening match, and then played goalless against Leicester City, but then followed a great series. The capital team won six games in a row, including a great victory at home against London rivals Chelsea. Later, draws with Middlesbrough and Manchester United saw Arsenal rise to the top of the table for the first time.
Under Arsene Wenger's leadership for the 21st season, no one could beat his players until mid-December, and in the 15th round, they returned to the top. However, that was when the biggest problems of the team emerged, with an injured Santi Cazorla missing. Used to easy victories, Arsenal looked too relaxed and insecure in their defeats to Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester City. The Gunners managed to recover briefly, but that was the beginning of their downfall.
Starting on the last day of January, there were four losses in five games, and the London team found themselves in fifth place, from which they never rose. Throughout this period, the players were unsettled due to the unresolved contracts of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil and uncertainty about Wenger's future. However, by the end of the season, the decision to switch to a three-center-back system seemed to have resolved the team's defensive issues. The choice to sign Rob Holding for just £2 million turned out to be the most successful summer acquisition.
Finally, Wenger's 20-year streak in the UEFA Champions League ended, and last season clearly did not satisfy Arsenal or the strategist who agreed to stay for another two years. It seemed that this would prompt the club management to take more decisive actions, so the question arises: perhaps to challenge for the title, the Gunners needed a big shock? We will find out soon.
Bournemouth was playing in the highest division in England for just their second season, but their ambitions to establish themselves in the Premier League were clear. Young manager Eddie Howe managed to attract Arsenal defender Jack Wilshere on loan, and more than £15 million was spent on Liverpool forward Jordon Ibe.
Bournemouth started the season with just one point in their first three games, and after five rounds were in 16th place. However, the start often gives a false impression, which the club proved in October by crushing Hull City 6-1 and drawing against Tottenham. Normally, Howe's players played within their means, but before New Year's, they managed to achieve excellent victories against Liverpool and Leicester City.
It is worth mentioning that one of the standout players for the team was not one of the highly discussed newcomers, but Joshua King, who played his second season at the club and had a breakthrough at the end of 2016. On that occasion, he scored against Swansea City, and by the end of the season, added 13 more goals. The Norwegian impressed in Bournemouth's dynamic attack and became their leader.
Excellent attacking play finally secured a ninth place for the Cherries in the league table. This was a great achievement in just their second season. With the continuous growth of Premier League club revenues, Howe's vision could become a threat, not to already established giants, but at least to clubs that finished a few steps above them, like Southampton or Liverpool's Everton.
After a year's break, Burnley returned to the Premier League with no significant signings, but the Championship division title reflected the club's capabilities well. Furthermore, they had already formed a unique identity as manager Sean Dyche took on the role for the fifth season.
The start was certainly not easy, but in the second round, a victory against Liverpool gave real hope of survival, and in the 11th round, Burnley even rose to ninth place. Then followed five defeats in six matches, and the club eventually had to return to reality.
On the other hand, as the season progressed, Dyche's players established themselves as a truly serious force when playing in front of the Turf Moor crowd. Counting only home matches, Burnley finished ninth, achieving all but one of the team's wins throughout the season at home. To climb higher in the league table, the team lacked attacking sharpness - only relegated Middlesbrough, Sunderland, and Hull City scored fewer goals. However, Burnley players defended well, and the impressive performance of goalkeeper Tom Heaton saw him being named in the symbolic team of the season by several sports newspapers. Despite a setback in the final round against West Ham, they finished in 16th position, but there were plenty of chances to stay in the Premier League the next season.
London's Chelsea is undoubtedly the main subject of this year's discussions. Under Jose Mourinho's leadership, after winning the Championship, they had dropped to 10th place, prompting the appointment of Antonio Conte to reverse the situation. The Italian coach was not afraid to spend over £30 million on David Luiz, N'Golo Kante, and Michy Batshuayi, and over £20 million on Marcos Alonso.
Supporters' hopes were high as the team started the season with three consecutive victories. However, their form quickly declined with draws against Swansea and losses to Liverpool and a hopeless defeat against Arsenal. It was then that Conte made changes that would be remembered for a long time. Similar to how Claudio Ranieri conquered England with an unusual 4-4-2 formation, Chelsea began playing with three central defenders.
This led to several consecutive victories during which no goals were conceded, and from October 1 to New Year's, the Blues had the longest winning streak of the season. During this period, they won 13 times, including complete demolitions of Leicester, Manchester United, and Everton. The in-form Chelsea machine was only stopped by Tottenham in the 20th round, but there was no doubt they were already seen as the next champions of the Premier League at that time.
As expected, the London team left no room for suspense until May and defeated their main rivals one after the other. The reason for all of this was the excellent functioning of the team mechanism, where each player had their role and no weaknesses were visible. The new signings and previously established players in the team surprised positively.
David Luiz seemed much more mature than during his first spell at Chelsea, N'Golo Kante had another impressive season, which earned him the Player of the Year award, and Marcos Alonso was dangerous even in attack. Cesar Azpilicueta found a new role as a central defender, which even attracted interest from Barcelona. Meanwhile, Victor Moses, who seemingly had no future in any strong club, shone as an attacking wing-back.
This Chelsea team was truly outstanding, and it is highly likely that it will be remembered for a long time. Leicester's triumph last season did not cause a revolution in the football world, but it can be seen that the three-defender system has the potential to take hold in England. An excellent example of this is the aforementioned Arsenal club.
Rather sadly, Crystal Palace summer looked very serious - the team was reinforced by longtime Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, midfielder Andros Townsend and James Tomkins after paying over £10 million for each, and Christian Benteke left for almost £30 million. However, head coach Alan Pardew had to leave his post earlier.
If the Eagles started the season quite well and were eighth after seven rounds, then came a series of defeats that were caused by terribly weak defending. Leicester and Burnley scored three times against the London team, Liverpool scored four, and Swansea were defeated 5-4. Finally, after overcoming Southampton, just one point was won in the next three rounds, so on December 22, Pardew's dismissal was announced.
Crystal Palace did not plan to fight for survival, but as the New Year approached, they were in 17th place. The club turned to survival expert Sam Allardyce to save them from relegation. However, in his first five matches, he also only achieved one draw each, but the former England national team strategist's results eventually began to show when the Eagles won four games in a row, including a stunning victory against Chelsea.
The decisive role in the most important stage of the season was played by the organized defense and the excellent attitude of the players. Interestingly, the best player of the season chosen by the Crystal Palace fans was defender Mamadou Sakho, who played only eight games after being loaned in the winter. The changes led to Crystal Palace securing their Premier League status even a bit earlier, and they could afford to lose four of the last five matches.
Although the problems were evident, the current composition of the team has the potential to compete for higher positions than the current 14th place, and the most important part of the team in the coming seasons will undoubtedly be the best Eagle player Wilfried Zaha.
