Premier League Season Reviews: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Burnley, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton

Arsenal

In this age of the managerial revolving door, I’m enormously proud that the Premier League champions (man, does that sound sweet!) stand as the antithesis to that. Admittedly, “trusting the process” aged a lot of us massively, but the agony of the past three campaigns evaporated with the final whistle at the Vitality. Sure, it would’ve been great to have enjoyed the sort of free-flowing football that the Cherries produced, but you won’t find a Gooner anywhere who gives a monkey’s how Mikel got us over the line. 19 great clean sheets. In the words of Fergie, attack wins games, but defence wins titles. Season rating: 10/10

Stars/flops Raya, Gabriel, Saliba and Rice were so consistent. But Martinelli managed only one league goal, Madueke lacked composure in front of goal and, while Eze’s one-man demolition of Spurs guarantees him cult status, he’s often struggled to influence proceedings.

What we need in the summer To shed some of the deadwood (Nørgaard, Vieira), and add dynamism to our attack (Barcola, Gibbs-White, Anderson, Tonali?)

Best/worst away fans Atlético Madrid’s staunch support in the face of defeat was impressive. Spurs fans are always worst.

Moment that made me smile The exposure of Hincapié’s backside against Burnley. But the biggest ear-to-ear grin came from the unbridled joy of Tuesday night’s celebrations in the streets around my Highbury home. And I’m hoping there’s more to come. My first question to the oncologist when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 was whether I’d live long enough to witness Arsenal winning the Champions League. Her response might have been: “Will any of us?” but having schlepped the length and breadth of Europe these past 30-odd years in search of that elusive trophy and, having felt like we were robbed by Barça in Paris in 2006, if we can triumph against PSG in Budapest then I’ll be able to shuffle off this mortal coil a contented man!

Bernard Azulay onlinegooner.com; @GoonerN5

Aston Villa

Well, it’s not been plain sailing, but there have been so many brilliant highs this year culminating in a joyous party in Istanbul this week. “In Unai we trust” has been a crucial underpin to certain months in which we looked a moderate side, but Emery’s ability to get us to perform when it matters is becoming legendary. As has this team, this connection of seemingly really good blokes who love the club and have a great relationship with the fans. They have grown into senior pros together and, while fresh blood will be required, let’s focus on them: it’s been a great year and we really should smile and enjoy it. Villa fans, go and buy a shirt with your favourite’s name on, it’ll never go out of fashion. 9/10

Stars/flops McGinn is the sort of bloke you want to be your son’s best mate, your golfing partner and your club’s captain. His leadership and game management is genuinely remarkable and his finishing, ball control and general contribution have improved every year when the sports scientists would predict decline. What a player. The list of “big ups” is too long but Konsa has also become tattoo material for Villa fans.

What we need in the summer I don’t want to identify weaknesses in a team that have just given us everything, so I’ll just ask for a player in each zone, to match the obvious outgoings.

Best/worst away fans Liverpool and the absent Maccabi Tel Aviv fans matched each other for noise generated. Young Boys were wild, Sunderland good limbs.

Moment that made me smile They had the last laugh, but Buendía’s winner with the final kick against Arsenal and their subsequent pitch-pounding takes some beating.

Jonathan Pritchard

Bournemouth

Astonishing. Magnificent. Historic. Like no other season ever. We will be playing in Europe for the first time next season: a massive, monumental achievement for our club. Undefeated now for 17 games, we’ve beaten Arsenal at the Emirates (again), dominated City to kill off their title hopes and gone out in every game to play a brand of football that is energetic, exciting and fearless. All this after our defence was picked apart last summer, and our best forward departed in January. Andoni Iraola is a much-loved genius who will be sorely missed – but what a legacy he leaves Marco Rose. And what foundations Bill Foley, the staff and the players have built. We’re so looking forward to the next chapter. Others may call us tinpot. But we are proud. We are the mighty Cherries and we’re in Europe! 10/10

Stars/flops Alex Scott has been superb, he can do it all. Junior Kroupi and Rayan have been spectacular. Truffert is an unbelievable upgrade at left-back. Senesi has been sensational. Tavernier, Adam Smith, Tyler Adams, Petrovic all excellent. My top choice, though, would be James Hill, a £1m signing from Fleetwood in 2022. He replaced Diakité in December and has proven himself the best English centre-half in the country.

What we need in the summer Squad strengthening and better contracts for the stars: critical so we can keep hold of them for as long as possible. We must also replace Senesi, no easy task.

Best/worst away fans Best fans, probably, Leeds. They never shut up. Worst fan Noel Gallagher. Leaving 10 minutes before the end. With the title on the line. Embarrassing, some might say.

Moment that made me smile The final whistle against Man City. Tears of joy. We’re all going on a European tour!

Jeff Hayward Back of the Net, the AFC Bournemouth Fan’s Podcast.

Brentford

What a season. When Thomas Frank left and rookie Keith Andrews stepped up, plenty of people wrote Brentford off. I felt positive about the change but still only tipped us for 14th. So to be in the mix for Europe now is a huge achievement. There were a few disappointments along the way: the League Cup defeat to City, and losing to West Ham after that awful Panenka penalty was painful. But overall, 8.5/10.

Stars/flops Igor Thiago starred, scoring 22 league goals in his first full campaign, with the fans belting out “Thiago” to the tune of Spandau Ballet’s “Gold” – an instant cult hero. I’m off to the USA for the World Cup with England this summer and after his call-up to the Brazil team I fully intend to wear my newly designed Beesotted Thiago Brentford T-shirt while mixing with my Brazilian mates. Michael Kayode was also superb: there’s way more to him than long throws. If there’s one player who has frustrated at times, it’s Kevin Schade. The raw attributes are all there – blistering pace, power and the ability to completely change a game – but his form has been inconsistent.

What we need in the summer If we want to compete for Europe again – or, if results go our way, avoid being derailed by the demands of European football – the squad needs more finished-product players. Depth is vital. And so is replacing Wissa. We didn’t have time to do it this season because of how he and Newcastle engineered his move; if we had, we could have been pushing for the Champions League.

Best/worst away fans Wolves fans were remarkably up for it on a cold Tuesday night in west London. Honourable mention to the 30 PSG fans over from Paris who didn’t stop singing for the whole 90 minutes in a recent B-Team friendly. Worst – I always say Fulham but this time I’ll give it to Spurs. We barely heard a peep from them all game in a pretty dreadful 0-0 draw.

Moment that made me smile Seeing Igor Thiago’s family react to his first Brazil call-up. As soon as his name was announced, the whole room just erupted. A brilliant reminder of just how much football still means to people.

Billy Grant Beesotted podcast and blog; @Beesotted; @BillyTheBee99

Brighton

Forget the strange case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. This was the strange season of Brighton & Hove Albion. Fifth at the end of November. One win in 13 matches over December, January and February with football so atrocious 80% of fans voted Fabian Hürzeler out in an online poll. And yet Brighton go into the final day on the verge of qualifying for Europe. That was the club’s publicly stated aim at the start. Hürzeler is therefore close to delivering on expectations. He has just taken a roundabout route to get there. As for a rating? 5/10 for the start. 1/10 for the winter. 9/10 for the finish. 8/10 overall.

Stars/flops Ferdi Kadioglu has been a revelation. Not as flamboyant as Marc Cucurella or Pervis Estupiñán and therefore goes under the radar – but he is every bit as good as his left-back predecessors. Carlos Baleba has been a disappointment. So much talent. So good last season. He just hasn’t looked the same player since interest from Manchester United.

What we need in the summer For all the praise the Albion get for recruitment, Hürzeler has been working with a seriously unbalanced squad. Four quality centre-backs and an abundance of midfielders, but no real full-back cover. A lack of natural width beyond Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh. And Danny Welbeck as the only No 9 option who isn’t a Greek teenager. Any signings must better suit Hürzeler’s 4-2-3-1.

Best/worst away fans Sunderland came down in their numbers five days before Christmas. Chelsea were the worst. They all abandoned ship long before the final whistle. Although it must be tough watching your team lose 3-0 to their superior parent club.

Moment that made me smile David Raya landing on his right shoulder when Arsenal won at the Amex before writhing around and receiving five minutes treatment on his left shoulder. Superb. Don’t give up the day job in pursuit of a role on EastEnders anytime soon, David.

Scott McCarthy WeAreBrighton.com, @wearebrighton

Burnley

I was pretty convinced and bullish before the season began; seeing us win so few points and get relegated isn’t what I expected. We’ve only been really poor in probably a handful of games but those have been the games we should have been getting something from. Scott Parker was allowed to carry on for too long and should have been potted back in November. 3/10

Stars/flops It’s difficult to pick any standouts but I’d probably say Zian Flemming. He’s somehow managed to score 10 Premier League goals despite missing a few games and feeding on scraps. In terms of flops, take your pick but probably Kyle Walker from an “expected more” POV. He started well enough but has been so poor at times.

What we need in the summer A new manager for a start, someone who can bring an identity. And then probably an overhaul of the recruitment department. Our business has been all over the place and it’s clearly not working.

Best/worst away fans There’s been a few contenders for best away fans – Sunderland and Villa were decent and the West Ham fans were loud with their anti-board songs. Worst, probably Leeds United. A lot is made about how much noise they make at Elland Road but they were pretty quiet at the Turf.

Moment that made me smile Sean Dyche’s sudden love of social media is probably up there. Going from a man who didn’t want his players on Instagram to doing naff videos on the same platform is an about-turn no one expected. But I guess he’s got to fund those gig tickets somehow!

Andrew Greaves From the Bee Hole End podcast, @beeholepodcast, @andrewgreaves84

Chelsea

What an end to the season. It’s been disastrous, shambolic, embarrassingly weak, losing two managers, with fans demonstrating against the owners and a run of form that would have put us in relegation trouble had the season gone on longer. The only upside is that either Spurs or West Ham will be relegated. The Cup final was a bonus, at least, and we were unlucky to lose against City, even though no one was surprised we did. Alonso has a tough job picking this team up. 4/10

Stars/flops João Pedro was the most consistent player, growing into his role and rightly getting the fans’ player of the season award. Enzo and Reece James also had very good seasons. Our defence has collectively flopped with so many poor decisions, mistakes and weak goals conceded. Delap has never got going, and neither did Gittens before his injury ended his season.

What we need in the summer Once again we are in the same position as the last four or five seasons: struggling in key areas. We desperately need an experienced quality centre-back, a top goalkeeper and another top striker. We’re crying out for some experience and leadership.

Best/worst away fans Port Vale fans were the best – always good to see a full away allocation in the FA Cup. And Arsenal were by far the worst: smug, arrogant scarf-twirlers among a sea of YouTubers.

Moment that made me smile The look on Cole Palmer’s face as he put his arm round referee Paul Tierney during the infamous huddle. One of the most bizarre moments of the season.

Paul Baker in memory of Trizia Fiorellino

Crystal Palace

10/10 if we win the Conference League. 7/10 if not. It’s been a rollercoaster, from the heights of the top five at the beginning of December and in the League Cup quarters to the despair of crashing out as FA Cup holders at Macclesfield, a manager having a public meltdown over his squad and his future, and iconic players Eze and Guéhi departing. And now we’re 90 minutes away from our first European trophy. What a ride!

Stars/flops It is impossible to look past Ismaïla Sarr as player of the season, 21 goals and counting. Adam Wharton continues to show why he should be a starter for England, and Tyrick Mitchell’s consistency week in, week out merited a place in that squad, too. Maxence Lacroix’s France squad inclusion is well deserved. Jaydee Canvot at just 19 has grown immeasurably since Marc Guéhi’s departure. On the flip side, Brennan Johnson has struggled for confidence and Yeremy Pino has yet to really reflect his European performances in the league.

What we need in the summer A full campaign in Europe made it clear that it is incredibly difficult to be competitive in the league with lack of squad depth. If we make it to the Europa League then major investment will be needed, led by whoever the new manager is going to be. An additional central defender, central midfielder, and striker if Mateta leaves will be the bare minimum.

Best/worst away fans Leeds were loud, and Shakhtar were great under the lights. Burnley less so for a midweek match, but they had the last laugh, scoring three in eight minutes to win …

Moment that made me smile Palace Women bounced back to the WSL at the first time of asking with a 6-1 thrashing of Portsmouth Women on the last day to pip Charlton Women to promotion. The under-18s hugely impressed, reaching the FA Youth Cup semi-finals for the first time in 30 years and winning the Premier League Cup. But the biggest smile of all has been the European adventure – friends and memories made for life!

Chris Waters @Clapham_Grand

Everton

The overwhelming emotion is frustration and almost groundhog day. I’ve been a huge admirer of David Moyes and how he’s stabilised us, but he’s not delivered when the opportunity for Europe presented itself. Much of our football has been slow and passive. We lo