Crystal Palace have had a topsy-turvy season but somehow managed to end the slog with much to be proud of. Even before the campaign began there was the shocking resignation of Tony Pulis, who just two days before their first match decided that he no longer wanted to be a part of the project. Then came along Neil Warnock who stepped into the role and saw the club fail to win seven of their ten opening fixtures. This was Warnock’s second spell at Selhurst Park following his previous stint between 2007-2010, but he departed once again as the club suffered more poor results.
Alan Pardew, who had been unhappily managing at Newcastle United for the past four seasons, became Palace’s third manager in six months when he signed a three-and-a-half-year deal. Facing him was a difficult few months as the Eagles sat down in 18th with a potential relegation battle on their hands if they failed to start winning games.
The English manager was welcomed by Palace supporters as he had spent four years playing for the Eagles as a midfielder, and his first match in charge was an FA Cup third round tie against non-league side Dover Athletic, in which they resoundingly won 4-0. But the true test came six days later when they met Tottenham at Selhurst Park. Spurs were just outside of the Champions League places while Palace were stuck in the bottom three, but goals from Dwight Gayle and Jason Puncheon claimed the victory and signalled a change in belief and confidence at the club.
Palace went on to win more than half of their games under their new manager, notably getting the better of Manchester City and perhaps revenge over Liverpool who had knocked them out of the FA Cup. A Marouane Chamakh goal against Swansea City ensured that the Eagles were able to celebrate at their home ground the end of a difficult season, which ultimately saw them finish in a remarkably high 10th position.
Players like Puncheon, James McArthur and Scott Dann have been particularly invaluable in defence and midfield for the Eagles this season, though the club’s forwards have been rather disappointing. Glenn Murray has been their top goal scorer having found the net on seven occasions which, when you compare him with Queens Park Rangers’ Charlie Austin, who finished on 18 league goals, shows where Crystal Palace need to improve.
The club were previously linked with a deal for Liverpool’s Rickie Lambert but only if midfielder Yannick Bolasie goes the other way. Whether the Reds will want to meet the £20 million valuation, which would also be part of the deal, remains to be seen. But just like the numerous other clubs who were impressed with Austin’s prolific display these last ten months Palace would undeniably benefit from adding someone like him to their squad rather than Lambert, who has only scored twice.
Next season’s aim must be for a more consistent campaign from start to end. Another mid-table finish is entirely reasonable and choosing the right summer signings will go a long way to ensuring that happens again.
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Even with Nathaniel Clyne set to take Liverpool’s transfer tally to six this summer, the work at Anfield clearly isn’t done. Goalkeeping problems, the right-back issue, Steven Gerrard’s departure and greater levels of creativity have been addressed with Clyne, Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez, James Milner, Danny Ings and Roberto Firmino, but the issue surrounding goals hasn’t truly been addressed.
So it comes as little surprise then to see that Liverpool are prioritising the addition of a striker between now and the close of the transfer window – which hasn’t technically opened yet – and despite links with Salomon Rondon and Christian Benteke, there may be a left-field candidate worth considering… Kevin Volland. There are no strong links between the German and Merseyside as of yet, but given than he was Firmino’s ‘partner in crime’ at Hoffenheim, there is at least a moderate to strong argument for taking a look at the 22-year-old, who signed a new contract earlier this year – although this act seems to mean little in modern football.
‘But why?’ you may ask… well, here are FIVE reasons.
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The Firmino link
With a combined league goal output of 42 since the start of the 2013/14, Firmino and Volland made up a staggering 34.8% of Hoffenheim’s efforts. That’s just two players. Of the two, Volland netted the fewer (19), but he did out-score his Brazilian partner in crime last term (eight to seven), and his movement seems to be the sort that Firmino thrived off – 21 assists, albeit not all with the German, is a fine return from two campaigns.
The above video shows that the pair have a real penchant for link-up play, which is sure to be something Rodgers will be looking for from his attacking players. While Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were more in the mould of two greats put together, Firmino and Volland look to be greater than the sum of their parts when deployed in tandem.
Emre Can link-up
https://vine.co/v/eiFj9Flp9D9/embed/simple
It’s silly to suggest that everyone of the same nationality gets on (we’re sure you can think of someone in the same postcode you don’t particularly like), but having two young Germans together could be of use for Liverpool. Volland and Emre Can have been away together with their nation’s U-21 side, and before a 5-0 hammering from European Championship favourites Portugal, it was all going swimmingly.
The pair even linked up to create the above goal, dispatched by Volland, and with Can likely to line up in midfield for the Reds next season, a natural understanding could be the bedrock of an impressive side.
Goals
As mentioned before, Volland has notched 19 goals over the course of the last two seasons, which is quite impressive considering he’s just 22 and has been playing for a midtable side – Hoffenheim finished 2013/14 and 20154/15 in ninth and eighth respectively. Although he’s yet to register a goal for the senior German side, at U-21 level Volland is a one in two forward (11 in 22 caps), with his last goal coming against Denmark in a 3-0 win.
With Liverpool’s goal return the lowest in the Premier League’s top seven last term, it’s clear that a dangerous marksman is needed.
Well-suited to Rodgers’ system
Rodgers loves and attacking player who is able to drift, making Volland ideal for the Northern Irishman. The three-cap Germany international is most dangerous when used as an orthodox striker, but he is able to function on either flank or as the ‘No.10’, with his pace, intelligent movement and tactical wherewithal in transition key traits.
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With Europa League football looming large, Rodgers will need options in every position, and a player like Volland would present him with versatility.
‘Moneyball’
It may leave a bitter taste in the mouth for fans, but buying with a view to selling for a big profit in the future is a way of life for many clubs. Liverpool are firmly in this bracket, with the lack of a ‘sugar daddy owner’, regular Champions League football and a relatively small stadium (for now) forcing the Merseysiders to operate in a financially-savvy way.
The exits of Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez in particular show the power of profit, while Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge’s values have risen dramatically since their arrivals at Anfield. Volland, at 22, looks to have the potential to improve, and with Hoffenheim hardly giants of the game they may find it hard to resist offers.
According to ESPN journalist Mattias Karen on his official Twitter account, Southampton have been dealt a huge blow in their attempt to bring Arsenal winger Theo Walcott back to the club during the January transfer window after Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said he ‘wants him to stay’.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the 28-year-old has emerged as one of the south coast outfit’s top targets this month as they look strengthen their attacking options having only scored 21 times in their 22 Premier League matches so far this term – a record that has contributed to them only lying outside of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Mauricio Pellegrino is keen to bring the England international back to St Mary’s 12 years after he left for Arsenal as a 16-year-old, and he would have been hopeful of doing so with the winger struggling for game time in the English top flight having only featured for a total of 49 minutes across five substitute appearances.
However, Wenger’s latest comments suggest that he isn’t ready to let Walcott – who has 18 months left on his contract – leaving during the current window.
What did he say?
According to Mattias Karen on Twitter, the Frenchman said…
Is a deal dead?
Probably not but it could depend on a few things.
Firstly, whether Alexis Sanchez stays or goes this month will certainly have an impact, as Wenger will lose an attacking option if the Chile international is sold now rather than leaving for free in the summer.
In addition it could also depend on Olivier Giroud’s recovery time with the France international currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, although he is expected back in action soon.
What can Southampton do now?
They may have to wait a few weeks longer, but that certainly isn’t an ideal scenario given the position they find themselves in.
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Given that Walcott is keen to play regularly to try and reclaim his spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad before the World Cup in the summer, perhaps if he pushes a little more for an exit then a deal may be more likely to go through sooner rather than later.
Newcastle United are having a turbulent few months due to the takeover drama, results on the pitch and uncertainty over transfers.
Rafael Benitez is trying to make sure that the Magpies stay afloat in the Premier League, but at the moment the team are only three points above the relegation zone.
January can be an important transfer window for clubs in Newcastle’s predicament, as they can aim for members who could be the difference between staying up or dropping back into the Championship.
The North-East outfit have been linked to numerous targets, particularly forward players due to the current team’s continuous misfiring.
Within the rumour mill emerged a story from ESPN, who claimed that Newcastle were weighing up a move for Everton winger Aaron Lennon.
If the club’s interest was serious then they have been dealt a blow as BBC Sport claim that Burnley have agreed a deal to sign Lennon for an undisclosed fee.
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After hearing the reports, Newcastle fans gave a mixed response on Twitter.
It has been a rather lacklustre season for Southampton so far as they have failed to impress on the pitch.
Manager Mauricio Pellegrino, who was appointed as Claude Puel’s successor last summer has come under fire from the club’s following over results and style of play.
The team have not won a Premier League games since November, and as a result, the Saints sit one place above the relegation zone due to a better goal difference than Stoke City.
Pellegrino has an opportunity to turn things around by bringing in some new players this month that will boost the squad.
One man who BBC Sport claims is wanted by Southampton is Theo Walcott – a former academy graduate who joined Arsenal in 2006.
The coastal club have been dealt a blow in their rumoured pursuit, as Everton manager Sam Allardyce confirmed in a press conference that the Toffees are in talks with the Gunners over a permanent deal for Walcott.
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Southampton fans have been tweeting their reactions.
Reported Arsenal target Riyad Mahrez was in attendance at the Emirates Stadium as the north London outfit beat Chelsea 2-1 on the night – and by the same scoreline on aggregate – to advance to the EFL Cup final, and Gunners fans are confident that they are signing the 26-year-old.
The Algeria international was in a box with Foxes teammate Islam Slimani according to the latter’s story on his official Instagram account, and the winger was spotted leaving the stadium afterwards according to @ArsenalFanTV.
The Mirror reported on January 19 that Arsene Wenger’s men and Premier League rivals Liverpool are both keen on Mahrez, although his manager Claude Puel believes he is staying this month and has slapped a £100m price tag on his head.
Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the latest development via social media, and while one said “welcome to Arsenal”, another said “it’s official”.
When a team performs so well as a collective, it’s always difficult to single out an individual for praise. But that’s the task we gave to Tottenham fans earlier today following a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the North London Derby, which could and probably should have ended up being decided by a far greater scoreline.
But it appears Spurs supporters have decided on a verdict for the Man of the Match award – and it didn’t go to goalscorer Harry Kane, who had to settle for second place.
Rather, Tottenham fans who took part in our poll gave midfielder Mousa Dembele the highest average rating for his performance vs Arsenal, an incredibly impressive 8.8 out of ten.
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It’s hard to argue with that conclusion. After all, Saturday’s North London Derby was very much won and lost in midfield; while Dembele and Eric Dier controlled the middle of the park, Arsenal’s lightweight trio of Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny struggled to keep up – and when the latter was subbed off for a more attacking player, Dembele really came to the fore.
Wigan Athletic recorded a famous 1-0 victory against Manchester City to secure their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, as Manchester City’s quadruple hopes faded.
The Latics are only the third team who have been Pep Guardiola’s City in all competitions, following in the footsteps of Shakhtar Donetsk and Liverpool.
Manchester City – who have been utterly sensational this season – were reduced to ten men moments before half-time as Fabian Delph was sent off for a foul on Max Power. This was the most contentious moment of the game, and Pep Guardiola was livid on the touchline.
Nonetheless, the decision stood, and Wigan utilised their extra-man advantage in the second half. Despite dictating possession, a mistake from Manchester City – Kyle Walker in particular – allowed Will Grigg to pounce and score the winning goal with only 11 minutes remaining in the game.
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The Premier League leaders were dumped out of the fifth round by a League One outfit. Here’s how the Wigan supporters reacted to the victory on Twitter…
West Ham United boss David Moyes has claimed that the team’s next two home matches could well define their season.
The Hammers have lost 4-1 on the road to Liverpool and Swansea City in their last two fixtures, but now have back-to-back Premier League games against Burnley and Southampton at the London Stadium.
Saturday’s heavy defeat at Swansea saw West Ham drop to 14th position in the Premier League table, and there are a number of worried supporters at the moment.
Moyes has suggested that the club’s fans can take heart from the fact that the next two fixtures are winnable, but those comments have not gone down too well.
Indeed, the supporters have insisted that the team should have been looking to collect all three points from the Swansea fixture.
The atmosphere would become pretty toxic if West Ham lose their next two league games, and it is shaping up to be a very interesting few months at the London Stadium.
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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:
As football fans we’re always looking back on the good times; the moments that made us laugh and cry and the moments we’ll either never forget or do our best to wipe from our memories forever.
But what about the future? What do we have to look forward to? Can we get excited about what’s to come or should we continue to yearn for yesteryear?
As part of our Premier League 25 years celebration this season, we’ve decided to boot up our copy of Football Manager 2018 and simulate 25 years into the future to see what exactly we’ve got to look forward to. And without wanting to wish our lives away, we’re in for a real treat if this is what the future holds.
With one season per article, we’re looking 25 years in to the future. Below we take a look at the 2021/22 campaign…
Pep Guardiola’s Arsenal endure a frustrating summer window as the lack of Champions League football this season leads to top scorer Andre Silva pushing through a £54m move to Monaco. Laurent Koscielny also leaves as he joins Nice for just £1.8m.
They do pull in almost £80m in transfer fees but only spend £50m on reinforcements – Munir is signed from Real Madrid in £23m deal, presumably as Silva’s direct replacement, but fans are extremely underwhelmed. It seems, even five years in the future, the Gunners still can’t do transfer windows properly.
Manchester United, as Jose Mourinho goes in search of a record fourth consecutive Premier League title, spend over £120m – the pick of the bunch being the shock swoop for Valencia’s Simone Zaza for an initial £40.5m, rising to close to £60m with performance based add-ons. AC Milan’s Suso also arrives at Old Trafford for over £40m. The only departure of note is promising young star Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who completes a permanent switch to Russian outfit Akhmat in January.
On the other side of Manchester, City boss Allegri spends over £200m in an attempt to build a squad capable of ending United’s dominance – Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez joins for £76m while they tempt Philippe Coutinho back to the Premier League in a £74m deal with PSG. Jack Butland finally leaves Stoke – signing a deal worth £28m. Benjamin Mendy (Zenit), Douglas Luiz (West Brom) and Nicolas Otamendi (Lazio) all leave on permanent deals while Kyle Walker is sent to Bournemouth on loan.
Liverpool, without the pull of any type of European football this season, still manage to tempt 22-year-old wonderkid Joao Felix to Anfield after paying Benfica £39m for his services. On New Year’s Day, Simon Mignolet leaves for Galatasaray.
Chelsea, another club desperate to compete to return to dominance in the Premier League, also spend big as Joachim Low raids Bayern Munich for Andrea Belotti and Rafinha in a combined deal worth around £103m, rising to £142m with add-ons. Domenico Berrardi also signs in a £30m switch from Sassualo. Antonio Rudiger (PSG), Marco van Ginkel (Newcastle) and Lewis Baker (Blackburn) all depart.
Tottenham fans continue to be excited for the future as they see Kasper Dolberg and Justin Kluivert arrive on the same day – Daniel Levy working his magic by managing to only part with less than £40m for the two of them combined. Juan Foyth is the only permanent departure from the New White Hart Lane as he signs for Villarreall in a £5.25m deal.
Elsewhere, Southampton pay West Ham over £12m for Jack Wilshere’s signature, Leo Goretzka joins the Hammers on a free transfer after leaving Schalke, Brighton shock everyone with the £17.75m capture of Dortmund’s Maximillian Philipp, Ipswich Town sign Vincent Janssen from Huddersfield for £10m, Edin Dzeko joins newly promoted Leeds United on a free and contract rebel Demarai Gray leaves Leicester City for West Brom for free.
The top ten transfers involving Premier League clubs are as follows…
Apart from the likes of Dzeko, Goretzka and Philipp making surprise moves in the transfer windows, the other standout moves are Robert Snodgrass swapping Crystal Palace for AEK Athens, Gylfi Sigurdsson leaving Everton for Leicester in a £9.25m deal, James Ward-Prowse also securing a surprise exit from Southampton as he signs for the Foxes for a bargain £6.25m and former West Ham flop Jonathan Calleri joining Newcastle on a free.
Elsewhere across Europe, the biggest deals involve Bayern Munich and PSG. The Bundesliga giants snap up Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt and Julian Weigl from Dortmund for a combined fee of £126m while oil-rich PSG spend £67m on Dortmund’s Moussa Dembele.
As the years go by, the names we all know and recognise are beginning to fade as new faces are appearing – because of retirement, obviously. This is where it’ll get interesting.
The League Campaign
As many predicted, Man United make history by becoming the first ever team to win the Premier League four times in a row. Just like previous seasons, they’re given a free run to the title, ending the season nine points clear of runners-up Arsenal.
It is the Gunners who perhaps surprise everyone this season following an underwhelming summer transfer window and deciding not to sign anyone in January. Man City and Chelsea make up the rest of the top four comfortably as fifth placed Spurs finish 13 points of the Champions League spots.
Liverpool are able to creep back in to the Europa League by finishing 6th.
While the race for the title was a foregone conclusion for much of the campaign, the battle to stay in the Premier League was once again the biggest talking point.
Leeds’ return to the top-flight was a dissapointing one as they finished bottom and 10 points from safety but it was Brighton who were able to join the long list of clubs to have performed a Great Escape.
They looked dead and buried going in to the final four game but draws against Newcastle and Tottenham were following by emphatic back-to-back wins against Southampton at home and Liverpool at Anfield, securing their Premier League status at the expense of Middlesbrough.
Boro had looked safe but as Brighton lifted themselves out of trouble, Paulo Sousa’s men struggled for results and failed to win any of their last three games, picking up just two points.
In the eyes of the media, Leicester were the biggest underachievers as they were unable to live up to their pre-season prediction of finishing 7th and eventually had to settle for 12th. Southampton and Bournemouth, predicted to finish 10th and 11th respectively, were the season’s big overachievers as they finished well inside the top 10.
As mentioned above, Arsenal’s second-place finish came as a shock to many having been tipped to finish 5th by the media before the season began.
There were early fears that Man United would not make it four-in-a-row when they fell to a 2-1 away defeat to Newcastle on the opening day but were able to recover quickly and immediately started a 14-game unbeaten run before being stopped by Middlesbrough in a 2-1 defeat at the end of December.
Defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea after the turn of the year didn’t make much of a difference in the title race as Mourinho’s side ended the season with eight wins in a row.
Arsenal will be disappointed not to have put more pressure on United, though. A nine-game unbeaten run at the beginning of the season was brought to an abrupt end by rivals Spurs in a 3-0 demolition job at the Emirates. Winning just three of their final eight games meant the Gunners were unable to mount a late surge for the title.
Amazingly, Everton were one of the favourites to secure a top six finish but they followed a run of one defeat in eight games during February and March with just three points from their final eight fixtures, meaning they had to settle with 9th.
Leeds, who only won three games in the first half of the season, lost just one of their final six games. But by then it was too little, too late.
Here’s how the season looked as far as team records are concerned…
As you can see, Man United’s unbeaten run of 14 games went a long way to ensuring they lifted yet another Premier League crown while Middlesbrough’s 11-game run without victory essentially allowed Brighton a chance of survival.
End of Season Awards
Harry Kane wins the Golden Boot with 22 goals in 37 league appearances. It takes him to 165 Premier League goals and he is now fully expected to break Shearer’s record of 260. Less than 100 to go, surely he’ll do it.
Close behind him was Man City’s 21-year-old striker Pietro Pellegri with 21 goals. His start to life in England is hugely impressive, having scored 59 in 84 first team appearances in all competitions since arriving two seasons ago – 40 of which were in the Premier League. At this rate, he’ll be giving Harry Kane a run for his money with Shearer’s record in sight, and will no doubt overtake Sergio Aguero as Man City’s all-time top scorer.
Chelsea’s Andrea Belotti enjoys a successful maiden season in England with 19 Premier League goals, former Hammers flop Calleri shockingly nets 15 league goals for Newcastle while Arsenal’s Munir, who was under pressure to successfully replace the departed goal machine Andre Silva, scores 14 league goals.
The Golden Glove goals to Man City’s new No.1, Jack Butland, who registers 14 clean sheets and concedes just 26 goals all season, ending David De Gea’s run of three consecutive Golden Glove awards.
Mesut Ozil, who is still at Arsenal, ends the season at the top of the Premier League assists charts with 15, two ahead of Liverpool’s Naby Keita.
Man United’s Paulo Dybala is named Player of the Year for the second time in three years while Pietro Pellegri is named Young Player of the Year.
The Manager of the Year, unsurprisingly, is Jose Mourinho for a second season in a row.
The Premier League Team of the Year is once again dominated by the Manchester clubs, with just Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Tottenham’s Harry Kane preventing it from being a full Manchester-made XI.
Manager Movements
In what may come as a surprise to many in the modern game, only five teams opted for a change of manager during the season.
The first came in November as Eddie Howe was relieved of his duties at West Ham after losing the dressing room – he was replaced by former Wolves and Southampton boss Nuno Santo two weeks later.
Leicester’s underwhelming start to the campaign resulted in Rafa Benitez losing his job at the beginning of December and being replaced by former Liverpool boss Vincenzo Montella – the Italian proves to be a shrewd appointment as he guides the Foxes to FA Cup glory in May.
It doesn’t take long for Eddie Howe to find a new job after his dismissal from West Ham as Brighton offer him the chance to return to the south coast following their decision to part ways with Manuel Pellegrini. Howe goes on to perform the Great Escape for the Seagulls.
Elsewhere, Newcastle make the slightly odd decision to swap Walter Mazzarri with Ipswich’s Mick McCarthy and Ipswich react to losing McCarthy by nabbing Reading’s Marcin Wasilewski, who takes them down to the Championship while Reading wave at him on the way up as they’re promoted via the Play-Offs.
What to expect next season?
Obviously, Man United will have their sights on a fifth consecutive Premier League crown – their 25th English top-flight title – as Jose Mourinho continues to go all Sir Alex Ferguson on the red half of Manchester.
City, of course, will want to be United’s biggest challengers having fallen well short over the last few seasons.
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The absolute minimum aim for both Tottenham and Liverpool will be fighting their way back in to the top four.
As the top six consistently dominates the Premier League, clubs like Southampton, West Ham, Everton and perhaps even Leicester will have one eye on challenging the norm in 2022/23 and there will also be many eyes on Bournemouth, to see if they can push on from their superb 8th placed finish.
Newly promoted QPR and Reading will obviously want to prove they can compete at the top level and stay there.
2021/2022 Overview
Premier League Champions: Man United
Champions League qualification: Man United, Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea
Europa League qualification: Tottenham, Liverpool and Leicester City
Relegated to Championship: Middlesbrough, Ipswicth Town and Leeds United
Promoted to Premier League: Blackburn, QPR and Reading
Community Shield Winners: Man United
FA Cup Winners: Leicester City
Carabao Cup Winners: Tottenham Hotspur
UEFA Super Cup Winners: Chelsea
Club World Championship: Corinthians
Champions League Winners: Man United
Europa League Winners: Bayern Munich
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