The Premier League’s Expectation vs. Reality table

How do you measure the success of a season? A look at the final table is factual, but can be a bit deceptive. So how about comparing pre-season hopes to what ended up being delivered? Where would your team be with these factors in play?

That’s how it is this season premier league The Expectation vs. Reality table might look like this.

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1. Brighton (actual goal: 6th). The club saw manager Graham Potter depart Chelsea early but brought in the brilliant Roberto De Zerbi as a substitute. Brighton’s hot football enchanted fans across the country and gave them their first Europa League adventure by finishing sixth.

The club is expertly run from top to bottom, particularly when it comes to signing quality players at great prices and they will already have replacements ready for the star midfielders Alexis MacAllister And Moses Caicedo if, as it seems certain, they are allowed to go.

2. Bournemouth (15th). Every expert predicted relegation and even their ex-coach Scott Parker felt they weren’t good enough to stay up – which cost him his job after four games at the end of August. But Gary O’Neil defied the critics in his first appointment as manager, keeping them five points clear in the Premier League.

3. arsenal (2nd). Thanks to the Gunners for giving us a title race of sorts. They topped the table for 248 days – the longest a team has ever gone without taking first place – and were so good to look at, but they ran out of gas. The title fight was never the goal before the season, so second place is a big achievement. You’ll regret everything has fallen apart in recent games but the signing of the West Ham midfielder Declan Rice would reinforce them this summer.

4. newcastle (4th). Despite their enormous financial support from Saudi Arabia, a place in the top four and Champions League football all came ahead of schedule for Eddie Howe’s side. Solid and stylish, they played attractive football and lost just five times – the same as champions Manchester City.

5. Fulham (10th). In a new division for the fifth straight season, after oscillating between the Premier League and the Championship, it was clear early on that Marco Silva’s dynamic team would be more likely to challenge in the top half of the table than battle the competition drops. And so it happened.

6. Nottingham Forest (16.). After a summer shopping spree for 30 new players They had a roster full of strangers and certainly looked relegated. But manager Steve Cooper deserves credit for forging a team that’s managed to stay afloat on a rocking City Ground.

7. AstonVilla (7th). When the meticulous Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in October 2022, Villa finished 16th, rising to 7th and securing a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League. They finished with seven straight home wins and have a young star in the 22-year-old midfielder Jacob Ramsey build around

8th. Manchester City (1). They are by far the best side in the country and pushed Arsenal aside in the final weeks of the season, securing their fifth title in six years. Temporarily unplayable, Pep Guardiola’s side have won 17 out of 22 league games in 2023 (including 12 in the lead up) but given the quality of the coach and players, it’s all to be expected. Therefore, they only occupy 8th place in this table.

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9. Manchester United (3rd). Manager Erik ten Hag has started a revolution in his first full season at Old Trafford, restoring sanity and discipline in the process. A return to the Champions League is a big goal that has been achieved and while United still have days off, the trend is now in the right direction.

10 Brentford (9th). Thomas Frank’s side predicted ahead of the season they would struggle in their second Premier League campaign. They’ve won against Man City twice – home and away – which is a sign of how difficult they are to play against. But if they want to do as well next year they will need to sign a striker to fill the gap that has been created Ivan Toney‘S eight months ban after being found guilty of gambling offences.

11. crystal palace (11th). After failing to win a game under Patrick Vieira in 2023, the Frenchman was sacked in March and replaced by 75-year-old Roy Hodgson. the previous England The manager managed the turnaround to take Palace up the table with young stars like Eberechi Eze And Michael Olisethey could do even better.

Hodgson only signed one contract until the end of the season, but was able to stay.

12. Wolverhampton Wanderers (13th). They were under the impression of relegation until November when coach Julen Lopetegui arrived to reorganize and reshape the side. They also played better football.

13. west ham (14th). It’s been a mostly disappointing season for the Hammers, but a couple of key victories (over Man United, Fulham and Bournemouth) just kept them out of trouble. Reaching the Europa Conference League final against Florence added a shine to the season it never seemed to deliver.

14 Liverpool (5th). By Jurgen Klopp’s high standards, this season has fallen far short of expectations. A late revival with seven straight wins saw them move into the top four and eventually secured the consolation prize of a Europa League spot. But Klopp needs to freshen up and rebuild to make them title challengers again.

15 everton (17th). Another season, another relegation battle. It’s been an agonizing couple of years for the fans at Goodison Park. Frank Lampard was sacked in January when the club were penultimate and Sean Dyche did an excellent job of saving them from relegation by beating Bournemouth 1-0 on the final day.

Risk management has to stop here. The owners have a great summer ahead of them.

16 Tottenham Hotspur (8th.). This season has been a mess. Since his sacking in March, Spurs have often struggled to find a manager to replace Antonio Conte (who acted as if he was doing the club a favor by being there). They missed out on a European place and need a top coach quickly.

Convincing star striker Harry Kane The extension of his contract, which expires in 2024, could be difficult given the development so far.

17 southampton (20th). Statistically, the Premier League’s worst team never looked good enough to avoid relegation, nor did poor staffing and managerial decisions help them. They will find it difficult to keep the star midfielder James Ward-Prowsewho would be key to their hopes of bouncing back next season.

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18 Leicester City (18th). The end of an incredible fairy tale that saw the Foxes win Premier League titles (2016) and FA Cup success (2021).

allow goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel Leaving last summer was just one of several poor decisions, while manager Brendan Rodgers appeared to have lost enthusiasm as he had no money to spend and it was too late not to sack him until early April. Leicester lacked the guts and fight to stay up and there was nothing Dean Smith could do about it.

19 LeedsUnited (19th). The club has such a rich history and huge fanbase, but since the departure of the legendary Marcelo Bielsa in February 2022, they have strayed. Leeds signed players who had not yet proven themselves in the Premier League and their experiment with a base of US stars failed under American coach Jesse Marsch. After being sacked within a year, the club always looked fragile and that didn’t change under Sam Allardyce. No team can expect to concede 78 goals and survive.

20 Chelsea (12th). A disastrous season in which they spent £600m but failed to sign a central striker. Thomas Tuchel was sacked days after the summer transfer window closed, Brighton’s Potter appeared to find the job too big, while the re-signing of club legend Lampard as caretaker manager did not work as they lost eight out of 11 games under him. Goals were a problem (Southampton were just two goals down) and a bloated 31-man squad never managed to establish a playing pattern.

The new boss Mauricio Pochettino has a lot of work ahead of him.