The final day of Premier League action may not have delivered too many surprises, but make no mistake – this was a season of unexpected results at both ends of the table. From Liverpool’s dominance to Manchester United’s downward fall, this season’s final standings were hard to predict, some teams ending the campaign in surprisingly excellent standing, while others will be forced into using this season as a reminder that there is plenty of room for improvement. The top half of the table is defined by Manchester City’s slip from top spot and an unexpected competitor in Nottingham Forest, who secured a spot in European competition just a year after avoiding relegation.
As for the bottom half, United and Tottenham Hotspur were unpredictably poor in the league and finished much closer to the relegation places than the European berths. A 38-game season may be a truer reflection of how a team fared during a campaign, but two teams – Spurs and Crystal Palace – managed to salvage their seasons with major wins in cup competitions, even if there is a lot of course correction needed before they resume play three months from now.
With an entertaining Premier League campaign in the books, here’s are our grades for each of this season’s 20 clubs as the preparation for the next campaign gets underway.
1. Liverpool (84 points)
Liverpool started the season with just a 5.1% chance to win the Premier League but went on to win the whole thing with four games to spare. Sure, much of it can be attributed to Mohamed Salah’s hot streak and there are a lot of questions about how much work needs to be done to keep the momentum going for next season, but their title marks a strong statement for Arne Slot in his first season in England. Long story short, it’s the definition of a job well done. Grade: A
2. Arsenal (72 points)
Second place and a spot in the UEFA Champions League semifinals are nothing to scoff at but it feels like a season of missed opportunities in the Premier League for Arsenal. Manchester City’s downward turn made it feel like first place was ripe for the taking but their title charge never really came. They may have injuries to blame for it but five years into the Mikel Arteta era, nothing has really changed for the Gunners – and the pressure is only mounting after another trophyless campaign. Grade: C
3. Manchester City (71 points)
Manchester City’s third-place finish almost papers over the cracks that they showed earlier this campaign, which also ends without any domestic or continental titles. Finishing safely within the Champions League spots means they have the chance to make this campaign an anomaly but the weaknesses they showed over the course of the season will be hard to forget in the meantime. Grade: C
4. Chelsea (69 points)
It was hard to know what to expect from a young Chelsea team with a new, inexperienced manager in Enzo Maresca but fourth place is a very respectable finish for a team that’s not at the peak of their powers just yet. Things could become even better with a win in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday but even without that, the fact that they will play in the Champions League next season is a major accomplishment. Grade: A-
5. Newcastle United (69 points)
Newcastle United accomplished two very realistic goals this season – securing a spot in the Champions League for next season and ending a nearly 60-year trophy drought. Those are fitting rewards for a team that really perfected their style of play under Eddie Howe and were one of the most in-form teams in the country. Grade: A
6. Aston Villa (66 points)
The highlight of Aston Villa’s season will be a run to the Champions League quarterfinals but they were imperfect over the course of the campaign, and their inability to finish inside the top five may sting, even more so when you consider the referee’s impact on the final game. The fact that they could not win on the final day against a down-and-out Manchester United may leave a particularly sour taste in the mouth, especially with a Champions League spot on the line. Grade: B-
7. Nottingham Forest (65 points)
To go from the relegation battle to a spot in European competition in one year is pretty impressive, even if they fell short of clinching a berth in the Champions League. They could have done more in the winter transfer window to really make a run for a top-five finish but the dramatic transformation from last season to this one is more than enough to call this campaign a successful one. Grade: A-
8. Brighton and Hove Albion (61 points)
Brighton and Hove Albion finished 13 points and three spots higher this season than they did last, not a bad outcome for Fabian Hurzeler’s first season in charge. Things could get sweeter in a few days’ time, too – if Chelsea win the Conference League, Brighton’s eighth-place finish guarantees them a spot in the competition next season. Grade: B+
9. Bournemouth (56 points)
Bournemouth are eight points and three places better than they were the season before, at one point in the mix for European spots. They ended up falling short, but it is a respectable finish for a team that is rising up the ranks, one that has made Andoni Iraola one of the buzziest young managers in the game. Grade: B
10. Brentford (56 points)
Brentford went from a relegation race to being comfortably midtable this season, with manager Thomas Frank quietly evolving his style. They are emerging as a model to follow for promoted sides, four years on from earning a spot in England’s top flight. Grade: B+
11. Fulham (54 points)
Fulham made small improvements from last season, finding a nice holding pattern with manager Marco Silva at the helm and still getting the best out of U.S. men’s national team defender Antonee Robinson. They had a few memorable wins along the way, some that came in the midst of their run to the FA Cup semifinals. Grade: B+
12. Crystal Palace (53 points)
Crystal Palace have four more points this season than the last but fell two spots, but as goalkeeper Dean Henderson famously sang to the tune of Shakira’s “Waka Waka,” “Who gives a f—?” The big focus of their season will be their FA Cup triumph, winning the club’s first-ever trophy and comes with a berth in the UEFA Europa League. They can focus on league form next season and even then, there are not too many complaints from their Premier League outing this time around. Grade: B+
13. Everton (48 points)
Everton mostly stayed clear of the relegation race, avoided the perils of ownership limbo with a takeover in December by the Friedkin Group and have the feel-good factor back after David Moyes returned as manager. The actual results may not have been memorable but Everton fans will probably be happy with the returns now that all is said and done. Grade: B-
14. West Ham United (43 points)
West Ham United genuinely underperformed this season, sliding from a ninth-place finish a year ago to 14th place this time around. The short-lived Julen Lopetegui era offered little to write home about and bringing in Graham Potter did not offer an immediate course correction, with the Hammers a little too close for comfort to the relegation spots at one point. This season will force some reflection from the higher-ups, usually not a sign that things went well. Grade: C-
15. Manchester United (42 points)
It felt like Manchester United hit an all-time low with their eighth-place finish last season but that was merely a precursor for what was to come. The performances – and the mood – have only soured for the Red Devils since, a managerial switch from Erik ten Hag to Ruben Amorim doing little to make things better and a loss in the Europa League final only rubbing salt in the wound. This was a season full of underperformers in the Premier League but no one did it quite like United, who have the biggest rebuild ahead of them of anyone in England’s top flight. Grade: F
16. Wolverhampton Wanderers (42 points)
Wolverhampton Wanderers are slightly worse off than they were a year ago and offered very few, if any, memorable takeaways this season. They were lucky the promoted trio seemed unable to stay up from the start, meaning Wolves always felt like an outside contender for relegation, but it would be hard to describe this season as a success even if one graded on a curve. Grade: D
17. Tottenham Hotspur (38 points)
The final results of Tottenham Hotspur’s season are objectively hilarious – they could not crack 40 points, have more losses than any non-relegated team in the history of the Premier League … and won the Europa League. This season will be remembered as the one that finally ended England’s most well-known trophy drought and manager Ange Postecoglou is right to argue that it could (and should) change the narrative around this team, but a 17th-place finish – even while considering their injury crisis – is a stark reminder of the work that needs to be done to ensure they are competitive in the Champions League and Premier League next season. Grade: C-
18. Leicester City (25 points)
Staying up after being promoted to the Premier League is easier said than done and there’s an argument to be made that many sides are doomed from the start, the task inherently too difficult to achieve. The problem for the promoted team, though, is that this is the actual task in front of them and it is very much a pass-fail one. Leicester did not make things better for themselves by hiring Ruud van Nistelrooy in December to replace Steve Cooper, since the new manager’s inexperience proved costly. Grade: F
19. Ipswich Town (22 points)
Ipswich Town may have impressed with back-to-back promotions to get to the Premier League, but their stay in England’s top flight was not exactly notable. They had a few fun matches and manager Kieran McKenna may be a manager to watch in the future but that’s about it for the notable takeaways this season, and it’s now time to find out which one of these relegation sides is most likely to be a yo-yo club. Grade: F
20. Southampton (12 points)
Southampton’s greatest accomplishment this season was that they were marginally better than the Derby County side that holds a batch of records for being the Premier League’s worst-ever team, which tells you all you need to know about their campaign. Grade: F
This news was originally published on this post .
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