After 38 matches and countless goals, the EPL team of the season is… not Chelsea.
Yes, they won it. They’re probably still singing their song and drinking from the trophy – a trophy they’ve had one hand on since, about August.
When you’ve got the best squad, managed by the best manger and bankrolled with oodles of roubles, the result is hardly a surprise.
A true team of the season is one without the stars and huge finances who have significantly and surprisingly over-achieved this season. It’s Southampton.
In August 2014, with the season just about to start the Saints were among the bookies favourites for relegation. The off season had seen Southampton lose their manager, captain, talisman, three top scorers and two best defenders.
They were doing a mighty fine impersonation of the Bad News Bears.
In came Ronald Koeman – a man with no experience managing in England. His replacements were of the “who?” or fingers-crossed variety. Koeman’s first Tweet as Saints manger was of an empty field, a few witches hats and no players “Ready for training”.
This was allegedly the English Premier League not the local pub team.
From that ignominious start the Saints managed to;
* Never be out of the top half of the table
* Sit as high as second.
* Be top three for three months
* Beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
* Have the best defence in the EPL until the last day
* See Morgan Schneiderlin, Fraser Foster, Jose Fonte and Nathaniel Clyne have career-best seasons.
* Create stars like Graziano Pelle, Dušan Tadic, Toby Alderwiereld and Sadio ‘Fastest Hat Trick in EPL History’ Mane.
Over the entire season Chelsea, Man City and surprisingly Stoke had one game scoring six or more goals. Saints did it twice!
An 8-0 thrashing of Sunderland and a 6-1 lesson against Villa.
In comparison, four members of the Big 5 – Man United, Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool – either had disappointing campaigns or went backwards. Manchester United were reduced to long ball football a la Wimbledon of the 90s.
Liverpool and Arsenal never even threatened Chelsea and Man City’s title defence was as sturdy as a discount tent.
Special mention for over-achieving must go to Crystal Palace. Again a bookies favourite to go down, the arrival of Alan Pardew turned them into a top ten team.
Only five seasons ago Southampton were in League One. Just out of financial administration, the Premier League seemed a million miles away.
The Saints rise to prominence has combined a lovely sense of loyalty with prudent buying and selling. I wonder how a player like Rickie Lambert – who rose from League One with Saints to spend much of this season sitting on Liverpool’s bench – must feel.
The lack of a salary cap means Southampton and any one else outside of the Big Five will never win the EPL. To over-achieve in such an entertaining and surprising way makes Southampton the best story of the 2014-15 EPL season.
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Frankly, it was a bad look for Hayes. She appears like a grumpy and frustrated manager as her tenure at Chelsea is coming to an end.
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