Steve Luckings looks back on a season of intrigue with no doubt plenty of twists still to come as we approach the final round of games.
While most of the hard-to-fathom headlines have been reserved for Leicester City’s improbable title triumph, this campaign has truly been the most remarkable of the Premier League since its inception in the 1992/93 season.
As we look ahead to Sunday’s final round of games, the permutations for the league’s final Uefa Champions League, Europa League, as well as the final two relegation places, hold plenty of intrigue.
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And what about Tottenham Hotspur?
Leicester’s title triumph could have been lifted right out of a JM Barrie fairy tale, but for much of the run-in, it was a two-horse race with Tottenham Hotspur to see who would cross the line first.
Spurs, who until two weeks ago were the only team capable of thwarting Claudio Ranieri’s side, are now in danger of not even finishing as their closest challengers.
A run of three games without a win — despite taking the lead against West Bromwich Albion (1-1), Chelsea (2-2) and Southampton (1-2) — Mauricio Pochettino’s side go into their final match, away to Newcastle United, needing at least a point to guarantee they finish above Arsenal and avoid the ignominy of a “St Totteringham Day’s” party, a celebration Arsenal fans hold to commemorate their hex over Spurs, who have failed to finish above their hated North London rivals since 1994/95.
And what about Arsenal?
Arsene Wenger’s side broke their modus operandi of the previous decade of starting a campaign slow before finishing with a flourish by blasting out of the blocks before suffering the jitters down the home stretch.
When Arsenal beat Leicester 2-1 at Emirates Stadium on February 14, the gap was cut to two points, Arsenal completing a league double over their opponents in the process.
But a stuttering run of form since saw Arsenal collect 17 points from a possible 33 while Leicester picked up 27 in the same 11-match stretch. Arsenal fans staged their most vociferous protests of Wenger’s 20-year reign in last month’s win over Norwich City with their title drought to stretch to a 12th year.
And what about West Ham United?
After the transformation from workmanlike to wonderful under the guidance of Slaven Bilic, their season is in danger of tailing off where ambitions have slid from Champions League hopefuls to not even being certain of Europa League football next term.
And what about Manchester City?
Manuel Pellegrini’s farewell speech to a handful of fans at Etihad Stadium after the 2-2 draw against Arsenal went down like a damp squib despite a League Cup trophy and taking the club farther than any predecessor in the Champions League. His legacy to his successor, Pep Guardiola, may not even be the guarantee of Champions League football next season.
And what about Manchester United?
Louis van Gaal has had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra. When a 2-0 defeat to Stoke City in December signalled the final death knell in the Dutchman’s turbulent 18 months in charge, he answered it with a 0-0 draw against Chelsea. He has repeated that feat several times since, all the while speculation over his future at the club, with Jose Mourinho’s name forever lurking in the shadows, persists. United could even end this season with silverware if they overcome Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final this month.
And what about Chelsea?
From Premier League champions to struggling to finish in the top 10. A disastrous run of form saw championship-winning stalwarts Cesc Fabregas, Nemanja Matic, Gary Cahill, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, the reigning player of the year, lose their form and Mourinho, their manager lose his job. Guus Hiddink has steadied the ship, but the highlight of Chelsea’s season was in denying Spurs the title, battling back from 2-0 dow to secure a point that meant Leicester couldn’t be caught. A huge fall from grace for the West London club.
And what about Liverpool?
Replaced Brendan Rodgers with Jurgen Klopp last October but the latter’s record for his first 21 Premier League games in charge was identical to Rodgers’s over the same period dating back to the tail end of the last campaign, a return of nine wins, five draws and seven defeats.
Even the most diehard Liverpool fans wouldn’t have envisaged their club contesting two cup finals and becoming the highest scorers in the Premier League in 2016. No doubt Liverpool are a different beast under the animated German. They were a Willy Caballero save away from winning the League Cup and, given Sevilla’s abysmal away form this season — the Spanish side are yet to win on the road in 2015/16 — probably start this month’s Europa League final as slight favourites.
And what about Southampton?
The 2-1 victory away to Spurs on Sunday secured victory over every Premier League team Ronald Koeman has faced in his two years in charge. It moved them up to sixth, the last Europa League qualifying spot. The Dutchman has assembled a squad full of guile and gumption, and Southampton are now a well and truly established top-eight team.
And what about Everton?
Roberto Martinez can no longer pull the wool over fans’ eyes, despite possessing a prolific frontman in Romelu Lukaku, a dynamic midfielder in Ross Barkley and, although he has somewhat lost his way this term, a stylish defender in John Stones who will no doubt recover as soon as he stops thinking he is already a £40 million (Dh211m) player destined for Chelsea.
And what about Sunderland?
Relegation certainties when Sam Allardyce climbed aboard a sinking ship last October, they can secure a ninth-straight season in the top flight on Tuesday if they beat Everton at home and Norwich fail to beat Watford.
And what about Watford?
How, how I ask you is Quique Sanchez Flores’s position under threat with Watford’s status in the top tier long secured and a run to the FA Cup semi-final? Their form in 2016 has been poor, with only four wins in the calendar year so far, but the good work done in the first half of the season seems to have been forgotten by too many myopic fans.
And what about Newcastle United?
A net spend of over £80m on signings in 2015/16, but Mike Ashley pulled the trigger on Steve McClaren too late to save their season.
Newcastle are five games unbeaten under Rafa Benitez but the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday all but killed their chances. Their fate will be sealed if Sunderland beat Everton at the Stadium of Light in their penultimate game of the campaign.
Yes, it has been a strange season. But a wonderful one all the same.