Issue 2 - Difficult Second Issue

If you read the opening issue, thanks. If you are yet to have the read the opening issue, then why not? Anyway enough of the plaudits or persecution, it’s time to get back to business.

The Premier League Review (Positions 1-10)

Brentford

After hovering close to the relegation zone at the end of last season - albeit by a considerable distance, Thomas Frank has managed to oversee a top half return this time around and considering this has been achieved after the departure of talisman Ivan Toney, you would have to say its a job well done.

A job well done means that the higher ranks of the footballing hierarchy are now keeping tabs on both manager and key players alike. Frank has committed his future to the Bees, but the sound of Ange Postecoglou’s future at Tottenham will still (not him) be buzzing in his ear.

Add the fact that Bryan Mbuemo is now being courted by both Newcastle and Manchester United and it may be another summer where Brentford lose their biggest name but end up displaying their regenerative powers once again - or at least, they hope that’s the case.

Bournemouth

Are Bournemouth the new Brighton? It depends in what sense you are measuring them and if you were to measure them in “Premier League’s new darlings” you may well have a suitable case to make.

Andoni Iraola is now in the bracket of managers where the continual question of “when will a big club come in for him” is asked and that talk only goes away if your managerial stock tanks completely or you do make that move.

Dean Hujisen has already left for Real Madrid, Milos Kerkez is being eyed up by Liverpool. There is no doubt that Bournemouth had a very impressive season - one that offered a glimmer of European hope and a repeat of this feat in 12 months would be arguably even more so.

Brighton

The irony of Brighton missing out on a return to Europe due to Crystal Palace’s FA Cup success is not lost on those who support the East Sussex outfit and with Fabian Hurzeler seeing out a first season in charge at The Amex, there is an element of could do better.

Of course, there will not be great deal of complaints of finishing eighth but inconsistency has largely been the enemy of the Seagulls this season and although there were impressive showings (home wins over Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool), the chips were also down at times.

Then again, Brighton’s conveyor belt has the ability to keep creating wonderkids at the press of a button and with no genuine superstars ready to be plucked away in the summer window, this could prove to be a few months of consolidation - leading to better things next time around.

Nottingham Forest

When you look at the league table, it is hard not to be frustrated as a Nottingham Forest fan. Oh what could have been, had they not slipped up at home to both Everton and Leicester at the City Ground. What could and arguably should have been was Champions League football.

The ban of Gary Neville and Nuno’s bollocking have dominated discussion on the banks of the River Trent these past few weeks but when you zoom out of Forest’s season as a whole, the securing of European football has to be celebrated.

Yes, it may not be the Champions League anthem but when you look at English’s clubs pedigree in the lesser European competitions, there is no reason to suggest Forest cannot go deep in their midweek offerings. Whether this also means their squad is too stretched for domestic matters is the risk they will have to deal with.

Aston Villa

A season of what might have been for Aston Villa. FA Cup semi-finalists, pushed PSG close in the Champions League, pushed out of the top five due to a rather controversial defeat on the final day and now the threat of PSR once again looms over the head of boss Unai Emery.

After such an incredible acheivement 12 months ago in securing a top four finish, it was always going to be difficult to match that - especially with the additional football that elite European football had offered and although their home form was once again fortress-like, the less can be said for their away form.

Nine defeats from 19 was always going to make life far harder than it needed to be and although the addition of Marco Asensio in the January window was a shrewd one (Marcus Rashford less so), perhaps more pragmatism from Emery and/or a bit more steel than opposed to flair would have seen them get over the top five line.

Newcastle

In a season of trophy droughts being ended, Newcastle set the tone with their 70-year hiatus coming to an end at Wembley. Usually the Carabao Cup can serve as the platform for further success at the end of the campaign and if you use Champions League football as the yardstick, then success in London did the trick.

The Magpies may have stumbled into the top five after successive defeats to Arsenal and Everton but that should not diminish the efforts of the weeks beforehand, especially the goalscoring exploits of Alexsander Isak.

The Swede has a hefty price tag on his head but with a return to the Champions League booked, I find any move for the 25-year-old unlikely this summer. The bigger questions are just how does Eddie Howe squeeze even more out of this squad and will some PIF riches be spent in the next couple of months.

Chelsea

If you blinked, you would have missed Chelsea’s title bid before Christmas. At one stage, the Stamford Bridge outfit had a voice in the title race but the volume would be muted come the turn of the year. However, any prolonged bid would have meant the Blues were well ahead of the curve under latest boss Enzo Maresca.

Ultimately the former Leicester boss has done what he has needed to do. Picking up silverware in his first season - even if it has been in the David vs Goliath football equivalent known as the Europa Conference League and booking a return to the Champions League.

While no sooner have Chelsea celebrated their win over Real Betis in the Conference Laegue final, that they are now in pole position to sign Ipswich forward Liam Delap for £30m. Is this going to be another summer where the Blues try to purchase any player who has ever kicked a ball or will this be a period of relative consolidation in West London?

Manchester City

This season has served up the lesser spotted trophyless campaign for Manchester City and I don’t know about you but the game feels slightly better for it - not that manager Pep Guardiola would share the same sentiment after seeing his players fail to hit the heights that they have operated at for so long.

The lengthy absence of Rodri was undoubtedly a factor in City’s failure to keep pace with Liverpool but there is also the fading force of Jack Grealish that has been a major talking point across the season. Arguably you could say that the whole supporting cast in attack has been largely subdued during the campaign.

Admittedly the arrival of Omar Marmoush has been a breath of fresh air in the blue half of Manchester and although he may have missed a crucial penalty from 12 yards at Wembley, his effort from twice the distance at home to Bournemouth days later shows how much of a goal threat he could be in a full campaign for City - the fightback at the Etihad should be a interesting narrative to next season.

Arsenal

Another narrative for next season is just how much time Mikel Arteta has left at the Emirates. Is he the first name on the chopping block? No. Is he one of the men that will be feeling the pressure in the opening few weeks? Absolutely. Pressure that will only truly dissipate if silverware can be returned to the Emirates next season.

Three successive second place berths in the Premier League obviously shows a job well done in the red half of North London but this season was meant to be their season - if City could not scale the mountain top then the Gunners would finally fire themselves to Premier League glory.

Only that turned out not to be the case, a lack of central striker was once again a head scratcher and surely something that needs to be addressed once and for all in the summer. If they do, then you can expect them to be in the mix once again. If they don’t, well they always had those nights against Real Madrid.

Liverpool

Then there was one. Number one. First season done. Arne Slot came in to evolve rather than revolve at Anfield and by delivering a first Premier League to Merseyside in five years, he has taken the baton from former boss Jurgen Klopp and ran with it at some speed.

A speed that could have been derailed by contract talk - especially three-fold and although Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk would eventually commit their futures to the club, Trent Alexander-Arnold decided that it was time to move on to Real Madrid for a new challenge.

Not a decision that was universally accepted, far from it in fact but with the title all but secured weeks before, the pantomime boos would eventually become cheers when the soon to be Los Blanco got his own hands on the crown last Sunday. Trent goes on to pastures new, Merseyside is far from blue. Slot now hopes to make it two.

And Just Like That

As I finish the Premier League places from 1-10, some more Trent news is announced. News that comes in the form of TAA moving to RM for a fee. £10m to be precise and the move takes place on Sunday.

Seven days after the cheers at Anfield, a couple of weeks after jeers at the same location.
Then again, with Liverpool getting a fee after all, can the boos be considered a bit too much?

Maybe this just makes all the more palatable for the recent dissenters. Maybe those dissenters just want to move on once and for all.

Me Me Meary Earps

Also this week, Mary Earps has announced her international retirement. Problem is, its only five weeks before Euro 2025 gets underway. Part of me thinks, this is an unfiltered act of throwing toys out of the pram. Not getting to play and not getting your way.

The timing of this seems a bit off and although Earps has certainly earned the plaudits that have come her way over the past few years, it does feel that there is a sense of arrogance that underpins it all.

Admittedly, you do need that arrogance to stand out from the pack, but surely arrogance that means you are not prepared to sit on the bench and no longer play some part in England’s defence of the European Championships could have waited until August.

Will this quieten the Lionesses’ collective roar in Switzerland? We will have to wait and see.

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 2. Big thanks to the subscribers. 16 in the can already, be great if you could help me get that to 20

Also, feedback is certainly going to help drive this forward. If you want to take the time to tell me what you liked, what you didn’t like and/or what you want to see.

My email for correspondence is

[email protected]

Issue 3 will be out on Tuesday June 3rd

Thanks for reading

Dan