Season Review

Another English season draws to a close. Chelsea were crowned deserving champions, while QPR, Burnley and Hull face the disappointment of playing in the Championship next season. Let's look at the key performances that made this season so special.

The Champions

Chelsea record their fourth Premier League title and third under Jose Mourinho. Being honest, they were never really troubled in their victory with the competition dying in various stages of the league season. At the beginning of the season, Chelsea played some nice football to build up a bit of a lead. With Jose the master of defence, the title wrapped up once Mourinho deployed his conservative tactics. The whole Chelsea team did their bit this season. John Terry and Gary Cahill formed a formidable partnership at the back, while the void left by Frank Lampard was quickly forgotten with the signing of Cesc Fabregas. Nemenja Matic was the rock in the Chelsea midfield and played a vital role in Chelsea's success, the extra man in front of the defence repelled so many attacks, as well as launching some of his own.

The Runners up

Manchester City just weren't good enough when it mattered to challenge for the title, and at one stage, looked like it was possible that they were going to finish as low as fourth. City need a massive clear out of all the deadwood in the squad. Yaya Toure hasn't been the same player since the cake-gate scandal of 2014, and neither has Vincent Kompany. With an average age of 29, youth will be the starting point for the manager at City in the summer. While they do need to bring in players, splashing the money will not solve the void. Elaquim Mangala, Fernando are examples of money being spent poorly last summer while Stefen Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo were bought the season before but have sunk into the abyss through injuries and poor form. On loan at Valencia, I doubt Negredo will ever feature in a Manchester City shirt ever again, particularly with the arrival of Wilfried Bony in January. Now, City are in pursuit of Liverpool's Raheem Sterling in order to bring the average age down, among other young English hotshots.

Relegation

In my season preview, I tipped Aston Villa, Sunderland and Crystal Palace to make the drop, and I couldn't be further from the truth, with Palace breaking into the top 10. As for the unlucky contingent of Hull, QPR and Burnley, over the course of 38 games, they were the 3 teams that deserved to be relegated. Hull saw themselves hit 10th position at the end of October, but this took a turn for the worst and culminated in an 18th placed finish with 35 points. For Burnley, they were the favourites for the drop when the season commenced (except mine!) and they fulfilled everyone's prediction. As for QPR, they flirted with the danger zone for too long and were eventually sapped into a battle that they could not win. QPR where heavily reliant on Charlie Austin, who grabbed 18 goals - the fourth best in the league - which shows where the London side would be without their star man. Similarly, Burnley relied on the prowess of Danny Ings who netted 11 times this year. With Ings already sealing a move to Liverpool and Austin looking ever more likely to leave QPR, it could be a struggle to get back into the top tier of domestic football for both sides.

The Golden Boot

With 26 goals, Sergio Aguero leads the way for the first time since his arrival in England. Even with missing the majority of December due to a ligament injury, Aguero was able to help Manchester City secure their 2nd place spot. English protege, Harry Kane, came in behind with 21 goals, which isn't a bad way to introduce yourself to the English nation. A roaring start sent the young Spurs man on his way and he collected a staggering 12 goals in the winter months as his performances help secure notable wins over Chelsea and Arsenal. Diego Costa achieved third place despite only featuring in 26 games. We know Costa is a goal scorer, so when he features for a whole season, it'll be scary to see what the adopted Spaniard can do.

The Race for Europe

Arsenal and Manchester United completed the top 4, leaving Tottenham, Liverpool and Southampton to content with the Europa League. Arsenal finally broke their duck of being unable to break into the top 4, with thanks to world class performances from Alexis Sanchez. I've always said that if Arsene gets his summer signings spot on, then the team from North London could be in for a very special year. United achieved their goals, nothing more but nothing less. After spending £150m in the summer, a fourth spot was the bare minimum in terms of expectations. The wait for Champions League football continues for a another year at White Hart Lane. It will be an interesting summer for Mauricio Pochettino as he aims to clear out the deadwood in the Spurs squad. Liverpool endured a testing spell after selling their superstar for £80m last season and will be glad that this is over. Having already dabbled in the transfer market to buy Danny Ings, Adam Bogdan, James Milner and Joe Gomez, Brendan Rodgers needs to have his signings spot on,

Notable Mentions

I purposely didn't mention Southampton under the previous heading as I want to focus on them now. Having sold key individuals last summer, many tipped them to struggle, with some thinking they will be doing well to survive relegation. Ronald Koeman took over as manager, and his signings have secured a memorable season for the southern side. Sitting inside the top 5 for a large chunk of the season, they surprised many people and fully deserve their season in Europe next year,

Both Swansea and Stoke achieved their highest position in the Premier League, finishing 8th and 9th respectively. Garry Monk is quietly building a strong squad off the back of the sale of Wilfried Bony for £28m. This year, Swansea became the first ever side to record away wins at both Manchester United and Arsenal in the same season. Having represented Swansea in 4 tiers of the English leagues, and also as a manager in the Premier League, Monk's regard for the club cannot be questioned, as he aims to push on for European spots in the next seasons.

A similar story is shaped at Stoke by Mark Hughes. His work at the Potters has largely gone under the radar. Largely inconsistent in the opening stages of the season, they recorded just one win in the month of November and also went on a 3 game losing streak at the end of March. Hughes has been shrewd in the transfer market and has acquired talent through former Barcelona man Bojan Krkic, who delivered performances until he ruptured his cruciate ligament against QPR and ruled him out for the rest of the season. Like Monk, Hughes is building a squad and will hope to maintain performances having sealed another 3 year contract at the start of the calendar year.

It has been a very intriguing year with many talking points occuring. Chelsea rule victorious while QPR get the wooden spoon along with Burnley and Hull. We can only hope for more thrills and spills to this calibre in the incoming season.

Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester City

You would struggle to find anyone in the UK that would have thought Manchester City were trailing Manchester United going into the return derby. Both sides will want the bragging rights, but the game is the most important to Manuel Pellegrini.

Last May, Pellegrini was enjoying life, Capital One Cup in the bag followed by the league title. Many predicted this year to be a two horse race with Chelsea pipping City to the title and it looked like this was the case up until the New Year. Since then, City have lost 4 games, including 3 last month and have picked up just 18 points in the league - that's 8 less than their City rivals.

Rumours are flying about that Pellegrini is on his last legs at the Etihad. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Looking at last season, City should have had the title wrapped up in a present early. They had a far superior squad to Liverpool and Jose didn't seem interested in winning the league. Instead, they faltered and nearly handed the title to their North West rivals. The Premier League win papered over the cracks of a season that could have gone a lot worse.

Champions League is again, a major worry for Manchester City fans. This season was another year where they failed in the last 16 stage to Barcelona. Pellegrini will point to dodgy decisions made by the officials, however his tactical naivety cannot be ignored. In both years, they played in a 4-4-2 formation, suicidal when playing Barcelona who base their game on possession. Barcelona had the extra man in midfield and a comfortable first half, before Pellegrini decided to change, low and behold, City began to grow into the game and had chances. The damage was already done and a positive result in the Nou Camp seemed an impossible task.

The match on Sunday is a must win. A loss could see Liverpool move within 4 points of City, providing they secure maximum points at Newcastle. Manchester United have hit a run of form, with notable victories over Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa. A win may not save Pellegrini's job, but it will go along way to banish nightmares of the poor results they have received over the last couple of months.

 City cannot allow United to dominate the midfield and this means playing 3 in the centre of midfield. United's duo of Carrick and Herrera are excellent at finding the passes in order to unlock defences. City will have to contend with the threat posed my Rooney up front, but more importantly, Fellaini in the hole behind the captain. A player like Yaya Toure or Fernandinho should have the power to deal with this threat, but as teams have found out in the past, you cannot underestimate the threat of Marouane Fellaini. Up front, Aguero is a match winner although has had his injury problems of late while David Silva can thread a ball through the eye of a needle.

Vincent Kompany has not been at his best this season for the blue side of Manchester, yet he is such an influential player. City feel much more secure at the back when he is on the pitch. When on the sidelines, City have to rely on the often eccentric Eliaquim Mangala, whom it seems they have severely overpaid for and Martin Demichelis who has seen better days. Mangala may prove his worth, but at the moment he is a long way off it and City are suffering. With Kompany an injury doubt, this could spell more trouble for City.

Looking onto the summer, City could go on a spending spree, buying players such as Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Jack Wilshere. The media has constantly criticised City for their lack of young, English talent and this option would be an attempt to rectify it. While this is only one of the many transfer rumours in full flight at this time of year, it is all wrong. Buying English talent is a costly business and only recommended if the results are a safe bet. It would be wise for City to look elsewhere and take the criticism on the chin.

I am a fan of Jordan Henderson as he is a proper leader of men and an excellent box to box midfielder, however he, like the others, would command a monumental fee. Jack Wilshere hasn't fulfilled his potential and even at the age of 23, injuries may hamper his progress further. As for Raheem Sterling, he is a hot prospect however City shouldn't spend an obscene amount of money when he is at such a young age.

No matter what happens on Sunday, Pellegrini could find himself looking for a new job in the summer. I would tip Carlo Ancelotti to replace him, as he could find himself unemployed if he doesn't grant Florentino Perez with more silverware. It may not be judgement day for Pellegrini, but the reaper is approaching and could be on his doorstep by 7pm on Sunday evening.

Manchester City v Barcelona

Barcelona are in Manchester tonight to take on the English Champions and this can only mean one thing, the  Champions League. I thought I would write this to give an insight into what Manchester City have to do to progress in the competition.

1. Vincent Kompany

For all the many millions that the Sheikhs are pumping into the Manchester club, £6m buy Vincent Kompany is the defensive heartbeat at all the success for City. He hasn't been at his formidable best this season, and was out injured around the Christmas period. I wouldn't say that his contribution is underrated as he does get a lot of credit for his actions, but his value is priceless to City and I'm sure Pellegrini is aware of this. Kompany brings a calm head to the defence, particularly when Mangala can be erratic at times. He will need to be at his best to neutralise a potent Catalonian attack.

2. Don't play 2 strikers.

City normally play a 4-4-2 that works pretty well for them. They've won the Premier League with the formation, but I don't see them beating Barcelona with it. We all know that Barcelona like the possession stats, so with only 2 in the centre of midfield, they may get overrun by Barca's 3. Here's hoping that Aguero tracks back, as the defence will need help. While Barca have been content with passing the ball in tiki taka over the years, Luis Enrique has seemed to acquire a more direct approach - not to the extent of hoof ball, but you know what I mean. Because of this, I can sort of see why Pellegrini has selected 2 strikers, although I don't agree with him.

3. Sergio Aguero 

Of course, the man, myth and legend will have a deciding factor on the game. I am unequivocally positive that City will get chances, and this will be the man who you would bet on 9 times out of 10 to finish them. Aguero is likely to play a shadow striker role, but will also need to give a hand in defence. Aguero will be involved in the action one way or another and may prove beneficial to his strike partner, Edin Dzeko, who poses a different threat to the other little Argentine. Both Dzeko and Aguero will cause problems for the defence but will they take them?

4. Wide players.

Pablo Zabeleta and Gael Clichy will be vital tonight in defence. Up against Neymar and Messi, discipline will be key as both and produce magic from nothing. Suarez needs to be thrown into the mix as I could put a mortgage on all three roaming positions. With Neymar often going down when a gentle breeze brushes him, City will need to be careful when it comes to challenging for the ball. Not only will they be facing this terrific trio, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves' overlapping runs are also likely to cause problems. The wingers will need to retreat when Barcelona are on the ball.

5. Sergio Busquets.

The fella is one of Barcelona's unsung heroes. Much against the popular opinion, he can tackle, and is an expert in breaking the play up by winning free kicks as we all know. Not only are is defensive capabilities to be commended, I believe he will pick up where Xavi and Iniesta left off only in a deeper position. He can dictate the tempo of the game and thread an inch perfect pass so will need to be closed down. He will probably drop to deep for Fernando to mark, so Aguero, Nasri, Silva or Dzeko will need to prevent him from weaving his magic. Alongside him is Ivan Ratikic. The Croatian is the legs, and will be able to help out in both attack and defence. Both are dangerous and it would be stupid to disregard one, but Busquets is the one, along with the attack, and end City's dreams.

Precisely 2 minutes to kick off, according to my computer screen, and I cannot wait for the 90 minutes to unfold.