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A look backwards and forwards at the English Premier League
Michael
Roar Rookie
3rd June, 2015
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Arsene Wenger lauded Aussie football fans. (Source: Wikicommons)
Michael
Roar Rookie
3rd June, 2015
2

With the dust well and truly settled I’ve decided it’s the right time to cast my eye over the English Premier League season that has been and see what might be in store for the next. Poor teams, good teams and the building of a new era, perhaps?

Newcastle United
Well, the soft spot I had for the Magpies is well and truly gone after this season and it is not because of results for the main part. It’s more about what they achieved undeservedly.

Towards the backend of the campaign they looked like a shell of their former selves and yet somehow they produced a final day bonanza of good football to keep them in the top flight. I might sound harsh but it should’ve been them to be relegated. But we all know shoulda, coulda and woulda all mean nothing come the end of the day.

The team itself should be disappointed finishing 15th with a squad that should be rivalling the big boys towards the top. Their top six goalscorers managed to only put away 30 goals. Just in case you get fooled into thinking that’s not too bad let me put it into perspective, Stoke City’s top four goal scorers netted 35 and if I use Stoke’s top six the total is 42.

I won’t slam Newcastle much more because Papiss Cisse and Ayoze Perez had solid seasons up front despite the terrible team performances.

Giving a preview for Newcastle is near impossible at this stage the transfer movements will be vital for their success. Ill-discipline and managerial changes hurt the team badly but should it mean they perform like they did?

I don’t see any excuse for it. If you don’t like who you are playing for take it up with the board. Do not walk on to a field with a distinct lack of respect for the jersey that pays your bills or for the fans that go to support and put their hard-earned money out for you. This goes for any team or athlete of any sport.

Arsenal
Are Arsenal finally coming out of the doom and gloom of the last ten years? I think it might just be time Old London town got painted red once more. Sure they got the FA Cup but with a manager like Arsene Wenger surely that third-placed finish in the league is nowhere near good enough.

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Many fans would’ve naturally assumed the arrival of Alexis Sanchez would guarantee more success for the Gunners (which in part is true, netting home 16 goals in the league), but he seemed to struggle in matches where they could not get a strong foothold throughout midfield.

I think he will lead Arsenal providing they can get one or two more players that command the ball in the midfield. Mesut Özil, when he did play, helped them control the game but he alone cannot control a team.

Where was Danny Welbeck? I think it’s fair to say that even a great manager like Wenger can make mistakes. Even though Welbeck did seal the fate of his old team with a goal in the second half of the FA Cup, he lacked impact and never really found his groove. If he stays on for another term with the Gunners maybe he can give them that impact off the bench.

Wenger, one of the last long-standing managers, needs to open his cheque book sooner or later or once again he will be overrun by the wealthier teams. They have an advantage over Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham in this respect as they are guaranteed Champions League football unlike the others.

Surely another strong already developed midfielder and a demanding defender or two and they will be hard to stop come the 2015-16 season.

Southampton
Southampton surprised me to put it politely. I had them battling it out a bit lower down the ladder after having their team picked apart by the vultures in Liverpool. They managed to stay afloat and almost pip the team that took so much from them.

That alone seems like a good result but inside of me I truly wish they would’ve gotten one more win to get the jump on them.

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Finishing 10 points outside the top four and only two behind Liverpool is an achievement and hopefully the drive they showed this season sticks with them for the next.

The victories over Arsenal and Manchester United seemed to buoy their confidence, and even the eventual champions, Chelsea, couldn’t knock them over only managing draws on both occasions. Accompany that with an 8-0 pummelling of Sunderland and a 6-1 demolition job on Aston Villa and they were sure to open some eyes.

The ‘Special One’ was left rattled by the match against Southampton claiming he couldn’t understand why the penalty was given to the Saints. This doesn’t seem like much to go on but Chelsea are a disciplined team and they were drawn into poor defensive mistakes.

The off-field drama that ran rampant through the team midway through the season had little impact on the team’s consistent performances. It is hard to see them repeating the same feats again but they did surprise me this year so anything is possible when the Saints go marching in.

There were more teams I’d like to cover and praise for their abilities and some that need an article on their own for how poor they were this season, like Liverpool and Manchester United.

The season ended prematurely with Chelsea winning and having enough time to park the bus correctly for their parade. The summer transfer window should be an interesting one, I suspect a lot of money will be thrown around and I mean more than what is normally handed out to players. We will see if giants will rise or fall again very soon.

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