Premier League 2021/22: season review
As the Premier League 2021/22 season comes to a close with a dramatic finish at both ends of the table and usual free-scoring games, I look back at what seemed to be a very long season, especially with all the COVID disruptions and World Cup qualifying needing to be adjusted.
It was a good season but also one that pointed to a significant change coming up ahead. I recap the action.
Review by Team
Manchester City
Entering the final week with a 1-point lead, it took a dramatic “Gundo” moment, à la the “Agueroo” moment of a decade ago, to secure City’s 4th title in 5 years. Winning league titles is hard as it does not have a random “draw” and the luck factor also evens out over the season. While the Premier League title heads back to a very familiar home, Guardiola and City will be judged more, and solely perhaps, on their ability to win the Champions League.
Liverpool
Chasing a 1-point lead for weeks on-end is quite difficult. It’s also not as narrow as it looks, particularly when the opponent is City. Liverpool did well to take the title into the final day and post their third 90+ total in the last 5 seasons, on par with City. Measuring Liverpool’s league season by placement or stats would do them a dis-service. Under Klopp, they are a wholesome club which is pioneering football’s post-modern era and re-defining success in terms of its deeper, holistic and qualitative ingredients.
Chelsea
Coming in as European champions, Chelsea were favourites for the title race until some indifferent form and exertions of playing 5 competitions saw them fizzle out. Their outlays on Lukaku and Werner will surely be put under scrutiny, as will the palaver surrounding the sale of the club. Given the enormous change happening for the Blues — at multiple fronts, and at the same time, they’ve actually done quite well.
Tottenham Hotspurs
What better way to replace an uncharismatic coach and an staid playing style than to usher in Conte and his flamboyant wing-back system powering the unstoppable trio of Kane, joint-Golden Boot Son and perhaps the signing of the winter window, Dejan Kulusevski. While some bizarre slip-ups threatened to derail their season, they got their Top 4 objective back on track in the best way possible — by defeating archrivals Arsenal 3–0.
Arsenal
Another season of more questions than answers. Entering GW37 in 4th place (even after losing to the chasing Spurs), Arsenal’s loss to Newcastle meant that the proverbial 4th place “trophy” (and Champions League qualification) eluded them for the sixth consecutive season.
Manchester United
Entering the season as runners-up, and with Varane, Sancho and CR7 added to their ranks, Manchester United were my pre-season pick for the title. Despite a super start the usual issues derailed their title challenge: hubris, a sense of entitlement among players and a failure to transition. Soft penalties no longer being awarded and lack of form/motivation among some players further dented their attacking output. Erik ten Hag is an exciting appointment but until United make a clean break from their history and the influence of legends (SAF, Neville, Keane, etc.), true progress cannot be achieved.
West Ham
The Hammers carried on from last season and achieved their first ever consecutive European qualification on the basis of their league position. A deep Europa League run and the scintillating form of Bowen emerged as two standout aspects. While ending the season with two losses took some of the shine off, a 3-year contract renewal for “Moyesiah” shows how far the club has come under him.
Leicester City
Europa League exertions cast a large shadow over their domestic season, where indifferent form meant that they hovered between 8th and 12th place all season, before finishing 8th. With 7 consecutive top-tier seasons under their belt now, the Foxes are steadily establishing themselves as a regular Premier League side.
Brighton & Hove Albion
After a bright start, the Seagulls faded and went 11 games without a win to drop to the bottom-half before picking up steadily to end the season with their highest ever Premier League finish (9th) and points tally (52) on the back of an 8-game unbeaten streak. An excellent season where, in typical style, they proved to be a banana skin for many teams; the Big 6 especially.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Wolves showed some good runs of form in the season but a lack of bite up-front put European slots out of reach and 8 defeats in the final third of the season saw them end up in 10th place. A top-half finish may sound disappointing but at the start of the season, they would’ve taken it happily.
Newcastle United
The Magpies were the story of the season. A new owner, a new coach and a relegation battle on hand. Like their intelligent nick-namesake the club did a commendable job with takeover, both on and off the pitch. Smart signings in the winter window saw them climb off the drop zone, where they’d spent 15 weeks, in emphatic fashion to finish 11th. Had Trippier and Wilson not been lost to injury, a higher finish was a distinct possibility.
Crystal Palace
11W 15D 12L and a goal difference of 4 is a perfect summary of the Eagles’ season which was spent oscillating between 11th and 14th places, achieving a final finish of 12th — their best since 2018/19. In the end, a classic mid-table performance by a traditional mid-table club.
Brentford
In recent years, a newly promoted non-yoyo club has usually turned heads. Returning to the top-flight after 74 years, the Premier League debutants followed suit. A flying start buffered them from dips later in the season and they picked up enough wins to secure safety and finish a credible 13th. Thomas Frank’s personality, a heavy-metal style and a touch of class in re-igniting compatriot Eriksen’s career after his medical emergency in Euro 2020, further endeared the Bees to fans and neutrals alike.
Trivia: Brentford, Newcastle and Southampton. All three wear stripes and began the season as relegation prospects — but remained safe. No team wearing stripes got relegated this season, bucking the trend of the past 7 consecutive seasons.
Aston Villa
A mixed-bag of a season with some promising performances, although their 19 defeats, the most for any club outside the bottom 6, ensured a lower table finish. A solid if unspectacular season for Gerrard, who ironically also provided an interesting sub-text to the title race. Had Villa not let their 2-goal lead “slip”, his current team could’ve “won” the title for his former team.
Southampton
With a bottom quartile finish for the 4th season out of 5, Southampton had an unremarkable season, along with their now customary heavy defeat — “only” 0–6 to Chelsea this time after 0–9 drubbings in each of the last two seasons. Like fellow Bottom 6 clubs, basically just made up the numbers this season.
Everton
The Toffees have a unique problem. Club owners are typically accused of inadequate investment or passion. Everton’s owners care for the club but have made a string of poor decisions leading the club to its current predicament both on and off-the field. Their cause was not helped by Ancelotti’s sudden departure, injuries, or the angst created by Benitez’ hiring. Everton were utterly abject this season. Safety was secured only in the penultimate week, aided further by underwhelming results from fellow stragglers.
Leeds
Second season syndrome hit Leeds big-time. After 9th place last season, they just could not do anything right (just like Sheffield United the season before). What worked well for them suddenly did not. Injuries were another factor. The legendary Bielsa was fired and the replacement managed to avoid relegation by the narrowest of margins. The went into the final day with their destiny out of their hands but Burnley’s defeat handed them a great gift.
Burnley
I had to eat humble pie after buying into the theory that Burnley were “un-relegate-able” due to their experience in the lower reaches of the table and their simple yet effective playing style. Sean Dyche’s sacking was not well-received although the replacement gave them a fighting chance. In the end, their inability to outscore the opposition and perhaps the psychological impact of being in the relegation zone for large parts of the season, mainly due to having played up to 4 games fewer at one stage, conspired to end their Premier League stay of 6 seasons.
Watford
Relegated as expected but still managed to go through 3 managers this season, taking the tally to 14 in the last 10 years.
Norwich City
In line with everyone’s predictions, relegated straight back to the Championship. In line with everyone’s predictions, they’ll most likely be promoted back straightaway also. Played 42 teams in two seasons in two divisions, the Canaries surely are big travellers.
For the first time in 10 years, the title chase entered the final day. Then, the “Agueroo moment” catalysed a seismic shift in the Premier League. New competition meant a more competitive league which meant a more sellable product, which meant ever-more lucrative TV deals, rising from (then) £1.05b to around £5b currently.
This time, a different type of change has crept in. The first signs were COVID-19 related restrictions, which caused frequent disruptions to the schedule. While some postponements seemed authentic, many seemed like contrived excuses by clubs. Apart from the pandemic, politics and cancel culture also started to exert a more telling influence on football. Then there was the ESL saga, which ultimately led to a state-based regulator was also announced for the Premier League. While this will have some benefits like protecting it from the spectre of ESL, it is nevertheless a part of a wider trend of an ever-increasing external influence on football.
More than the on-field spectacle, this season will be remembered as a turning point from where external non-football matters started to encroach upon the game — and decisively. The game is poised to change across many dimensions. The 2021/22 Premier League season has shown us the trailer.
