PST writers make World Cup picks and predictions

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With the start of the World Cup fast approaching, we’ve been having some fun here at PST.

Our wonderful staff have pit their wits against each other and were asked to come up with their predictions for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

RELATED: World Cup homepage, the latest news from Brazil

Needless to say, banter has been flying around: “Seriously… the U.S. is going to the quarterfinals?” “Umm… I think you made a mistake with England, guys.”

As they say, making these picks is all part of the fun.

Below we have full selections from the PST crew, and why not have a go yourself in the comments section below.

Have fun and enjoy studying the field before watching your picks disintegrate in the first week  following the first wave of upsets. Come on… it always happens!

Joe Prince-Wright

Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon. Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia. Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Greece. Group D: Uruguay, England, Italy, Costa Rica. Group E: France, Ecuador, Switzerland, Honduras. Group F: Argentina, Bosnia, Nigeria, Iran. Group G: Germany, Portugal, USA, Ghana. Group H: Belgium, Russia, South Korea, Algeria

 

source:
JPW has hosts Brazil winning their sixth World Cup.

Round of 16
Brazil over Netherlands
Spain over Croatia
England over Colombia
Ivory Coast over Uruguay
Bosnia over France
Argentina over Ecuador
Germany over Russia
Belgium over Portugal

Quarterfinals
Brazil over England
Germany over Bosnia
Argentina over Belgium
Spain over Ivory Coast

Semifinals
Brazil over Germany
Argentina over Spain

Third place
Spain over Germany

Final
Brazil over Argentina

Richard Farley

Group A: Brazil, Mexico, Croatia, Cameroon. Group B: Spain, Chile, Netherlands, Australia. Group C: Colombia, Japan, Ivory Coast, Greece. Group D: Uruguay, Italy, England, Costa Rica. Group E: Switzerland, France, Ecuador, Honduras. Group F: Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria, Iran. Group G: Germany, Portugal, United States, Ghana. Group H: Belgium, Russia, South Korea, Algeria

Round of 16
Chile over Brazil
Italy over Colombia
Switzerland over Bosnia and Herzegovina
Germany over Russia
Spain over Mexico
Uruguay over Japan
Argentina over France
Portugal over Belgium

source:
Farley has gone for Spain to win back-to-back titles.

Quarterfinals
Chile over Italy
Germany over Switzerland
Spain over Uruguay
Argentina over Portugal

Semifinals
Germany over Chile
Spain over Argentina

Third place
Chile over Argentina

Final
Spain over Germany

Mike Prindiville

Group A: Brazil, Cameroon, Croatia, Mexico. Group B: Chile, Spain, Netherlands, Australia. Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Greece. Group D: Italy, Uruguay, England, Costa Rica. Group E: France, Ecuador, Switzerland, Honduras. Group F: Argentina, Bosnia, Nigeria, Iran. Group G: Germany, USA, Portugal, Ghana. Group H: Russia, Belgium, Korea, Algeria

Round of 16
Brazil over Spain
Chile over Cameroon
Uruguay over Colombia
Ivory Coast over Italy
France over Bosnia
Argentina over Ecuador
Germany over Belgium
USA over Russia

source:
Les Elephants are Prindi’s surprise pick to reach the final four.

Quarterfinals
Brazil over Uruguay
France over Germany
Argentina over USA
Ivory Coast over Chile

Semifinals
Brazil over France
Argentina over Ivory Coast

Third place
Ivory Coast over France

Final
Brazil over Argentina

 

Kyle Bonn

Group stages

Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico. Cameroon. Group B: Spain ,Netherlands, Chile, Australia. Group C: Colombia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Greece. Group D: Italy, Uruguay. England, Costa Rica. Group E: France, Switzerland, Ecuador, Honduras. Group F: Argentina, Bosnia, Nigeria, Iran. Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, United States. Group H: Russia, Belgium, South Korea, Algeria.

source:
According to Kyle, Bosnia is heading to the semifinals.

Round of 16
Brazil over Netherlands
Spain over Croatia
Uruguay over Colombia
Italy over Ivory Coast
Bosnia over France
Argentina over Switzerland
Germany over Belgium
Portugal over Russia

Quarterfinals
Brazil over Uruguay
Spain over Italy
Bosnia over Germany
Argentina over Portugal

Semifinals
Brazil over Bosnia
Argentina over Spain

Third place
Spain over Bosnia

Final
Brazil over Argentina

Kirsten Schlewitz

Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon. Group B: Spain, Chile, Netherlands, Australia. Group C: Colombia, Japan, Greece, Ivory Coast. Group D: Italy, Uruguay, England, Costa Rica. Group E: France, Switzerland, Ecuador, Honduras. Group F: Argentina, Bosnia, Nigeria, Iran. Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA. Group H: Belgium, South Korea, Russia, Algeria.

source:
Kirsten is going with Brazil. If in doubt… pick the host nation.

Round of 16
Brazil over Chile
Colombia over Uruguay
France over Bosnia
Germany over South Korea
Spain over Croatia
Italy over Japan
Argentina over Switzerland
Belgium over Portugal

Quarterfinals
Brazil over Colombia
France over Germany
Spain over Italy
Argentina over Belgium

Semifinals
Brazil over France
Spain over Argentina

Third place
France over Argentina

Final
Brazil over Spain

Nick Mendola

Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Cameroon, Mexico. Group B: Chile, Spain, Netherlands, Australia. Group C: Ivory Coast, Greece, Colombia, Japan. Group D: Italy, Uruguay, England, Costa Rica. Group E: France, Switzerland, Honduras, Ecuador. Group F: Argentina, Bosnia, Nigeria, Iran. Group G: Germany, USA, Portugal, Ghana. Group H: Belgium, Russia, South Korea, Algeria

Round of 16

Brazil over Spain
Uruguay over Ivory Coast
France over Bosnia
Germany over Russia
Chile over Croatia
Italy over Greece
Argentina over Switzerland
Belgium over USA

source:
Mendola thinks Germany will win its fourth World Cup.

Quarterfinals
Italy over Chile
Argentina over Belgium
Germany over France
Brazil over Uruguay

Semifinals
Germany over Brazil
Italy over Argentina

Third place
Brazil over Argentina

Final
Germany over Italy

Premier League table, 2022-23 season

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If it’s the 2022-23 Premier League table you’re after, you’ve come to the right place.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

After the break for the 2022 World Cup, the Premier League returned with a bang and the start to 2023 delivered plenty of fun and it continued into the business end of the season.

Now we are approaching the final few weeks of the campaign, it is so tight up and down the Premier League table.


Who’s looking like title contenders and/or favorites?

UPDATE: Manchester City are officially champions — again, again — for the third straight season.

As we head into the final weeks of the 2022-23 season, Manchester City are now in pole position after Arsenal’s title bid collapsed. During the season Manchester United briefly surged into the picture but they dropped back and now Arsenal have too.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights

The Gunners stumbled down the home stretch and couldn’t keep up with Erling Haaland and Co., as he took the Premier League by storm with an almost impossible goal-scoring record. City’s in control now and Arsenal’s title hopes are basically over.


What about the top four and European places?

Newcastle and Manchester United are neck-and-neck for third, Liverpool is alive and lurking should someone drop a handful of points, and uneven Tottenham looks to have shored up a place somewhere in Europe.

Fifth and sixth places in the Premier League will be UEFA Europa League spots, while seventh will be UEFA Europa Conference League qualification if:

  • a) If the FA Cup winners finish in the top five of the Premier League, their UEFA Europa League group stage place will go to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.
  • b) If the League Cup winners finish in the top five of the Premier League (or top six if (a) happens), their UEFA Europa Conference League playoff place will go to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.

Brentford and Brighton are also hanging around with fine campaigns, while Unai Emery’s improved Aston Villa are in the hunt too. Will one or two of them surprise and qualify for Europe?

Also: if West Ham win the UEFA Europa Conference League they will automatically qualify for the Europa League group stage next season and that will not impact the European spots in the Premier League. So, up to eight Premier League teams could be in Europe next season with four in the Champions League, three in the Europa League and one in the Europa Conference League.


Who are the candidates for relegation?

Southampton has been relegated but there is so much going on with the other two relegation spots.

Leeds United and Leicester City currently occupy the other two relegation places but that keeps changing all the time and it is so tight at the bottom of the table. Everton snatched a late point in matchweek 37, but the Toffees hang in a precarious position heading into Championship Sunday (vs Bournemouth).

West Ham have moved clear of the bottom three and Crystal Palace, Wolves, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest are all safe.

The race to stay in the Premier League has bubbled along all season and it has now intensified into what’s been one of the craziest relegation scraps in Premier League history.

Below you will find the latest Premier League table.


Premier League table – May 21

Premier League standings

NBC Sports’ standings and scoreboard



Follow @AndyEdMLS

Premier League relegation scrap: Current form, fixtures, odds, predictions

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The Premier League relegation scrap needs some serious paring down, as it now two teams from three who can still be relegated.

Southampton are down but there is still an almighty scrap to stay out of the bottom three with massive teams separated by just a couple of points.

That means the a few more relatively surprising teams will be heading down to the Championship.

[ MORE: Premier League relegation history – What do stats say? ]

It’s official now: Southampton has been relegated back to the Championship after 11 years in the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Wolves, and West Ham have shaken clear of the rubble, while Everton find themselves in a precarious position heading into Championship Sunday (vs Bournemouth).

Will Leicester City and Leeds still be below the line when the season ends?

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

Below you’ll see the latest standings, the fixtures for the teams still in danger of dropping into the second tier, relegation odds, and our prediction for who will collect how many points.


Closest Premier League relegation scrap in history?

After at least 26 matches of a PL season this was the tightest it had ever been between 12th place and 20th place.

There are just three points separating three teams and goal difference looks like being a factor when the final whistle blows on Sunday, May 28.


Premier League table, current form – May 21

Premier League standings

 

Latest Premier League standings on NBCSports.com


Remaining fixtures for relegation scrappers

Leicester City: Newcastle (A), West Ham (H)

West Ham: Leeds (H), Leicester (A)

Nottingham Forest: Palace (A)

Leeds: West Ham (A), Spurs (H)

Everton: Bournemouth (H)

Southampton: Brighton (A), Liverpool (H) — RELEGATED


Key fixtures that will decide the Premier League relegation scrap

Saturday, March 18: Wolves 2-4 Leeds – Recap/video/player ratings
Saturday, April 1: AFC Bournemouth 2-1 Fulham – Recap/video/player ratings
Saturday, April 1: Crystal Palace 2-1 Leicester – Recap/video/player ratings
Saturday, April 1: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Wolves – Recap/video/player ratings
Sunday, April 2: West Ham 1-0 Southampton — Recap/video/player ratings
Tuesday, April 4: Leeds 2-1 Nottingham Forest — Recap/video/player ratings
Saturday, April 8: Leicester 0-1 AFC Bournemouth — Recap/video/player ratings
Sunday, April 9: Leeds 1-5 Crystal Palace — Recap/video/player ratings
Saturday, April 15: Southampton 2-0 Crystal Palace — Recap/video/player ratings
Saturday, April 22: Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton — Recap/video/player ratings
Saturday, April 22: Leicester 2-1 Wolves — Recap, highlights, player ratings
Sunday, April 23: AFC Bournemouth 0-4 West Ham — Recap, highlights, player ratings
Tuesday, April 25: Wolves 2-0 Crystal Palace — Recap, highlights, player ratings
Tuesday, April 25: Leeds 1-1 Leicester — Recap, highlights, player ratings
Thursday, April 27: Southampton 0-1 AFC Bournemouth — Recap, highlights, player ratings
Saturday, April 29: Crystal Palace 4-3 West Ham — Recap, player ratings, highlights
Sunday, April 30: AFC Bournemouth 4-1 Leeds — Recap, player ratings, highlights
Monday, May 1: Leicester 2-2 Everton — Recap, player ratings, highlights
Monday, May 8: Nottingham Forest 4-3 Southampton — Recap, player ratings, highlights
Saturday, May 13: Crystal Palace 2-0 Bournemouth — Recap, player ratings, highlights
Sunday, May 21: West Ham 3-1 Leeds — Recap, player ratings, highlights
Sunday, May 28: Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest — 11:30am ET
Sunday, May 28: Everton vs AFC Bournemouth — 11:30am ET
Sunday, May 28: Leicester vs West Ham — 11:30am ET


Premier League relegation odds (As of May 21, 2023)

(One of our betting partners is BetMGMBetMGM is one of our Official Sports Betting Partners and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links.

Leeds: -1600
Leicester City: -900
Everton: +300


Prediction for Premier League relegation scrap (March 7)

12. Bournemouth, 45 points
13. Palace, 45 points
14. Wolves, 43 points
15. West Ham, 39 points
16. Everton, 36 points
17. Leicester, 35 points
——————————-

18. Nottingham Forest, 34 points – RELEGATED
19. Leeds, 34 points – RELEGATED
20. Southampton, 30 points – RELEGATED

Premier League top four race: Current form, key fixtures, odds, predictions

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The Premier League’s top-four race has been epic throughout the 2022-23 season, with so many teams battling for two spots in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Newcastle United took a big step toward sealing its place in the top four by beating Brighton 4-1 on Thursday, and Manchester United did the same by beating Bournemouth at the weekend as Liverpool has not let up its chase to catch them but it seems like they may just come up short.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA

Tottenham had already opened a spot in the top four due to inconsistent performances and Cristian Stellini followed Antonio Conte out the door with Ryan Mason in caretaker charge. Spurs slid down the table while Aston Villa’s surge ended with defeats against Man United and Wolves.

Below is a look at the key fixtures, current form, odds and predictions for the four sides currently chasing a top-four finish and Champions League qualification, plus who will make the Europa League.


Premier League table: Top-four picture

Premier League table

NBC Sports’ standings and scoreboard


Remaining fixtures for top-four contenders

Manchester United: Chelsea (H), Fulham (H)

Tottenham: Leeds (A)

Liverpool: Southampton (A)

Newcastle: Leicester (H), Chelsea (A)


Key fixtures that will decide the Premier League top-four

Saturday, April 1: Manchester City 4-1 Liverpool – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Sunday, April 2: Newcastle 2-0 Manchester United – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Tuesday, April 4: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Saturday, April 8: Tottenham 2-1 Brighton – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Sunday, April 9: Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Saturday, April 15: Chelsea 1-2 Brighton – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Sunday, April 23: Newcastle 6-1 Tottenham – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Thursday, April 27: Tottenham 2-2 Manchester United – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Sunday, April 30: Liverpool 4-3 Tottenham – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Thursday, May 4: Brighton 1-0 Manchester United – Recap, player ratings, video highlights
Sunday, May 7: Newcastle 0-2 Arsenal – Recap, highlights, player ratings
Sunday, May 14: Arsenal 0-3 Brighton – Recap, highlights, player ratings
Thursday, May 18: Newcastle 4-1 Brighton — Recap, highlights, player ratings
Thursday, May 25: Manchester United vs Chelsea — 3pm ET
Sunday, May 28: Chelsea vs Newcastle – 11:30am ET
Sunday, May 28: Southampton vs Liverpool – 11:30am ET
Sunday, May 28: Manchester United vs Fulham – 11:30am ET


Current form (As of May 20, 2023)

Liverpool’s last 5 results: DWWWW
Newcastle’s last 5 results: WDLWW
Manchester United’s last 5 results: WWLLW


Premier League top-four odds (As of May 20, 2023)

(Betting odds provided by our partner, BetMGM ) BetMGM is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links.

Newcastle: -20000
Manchester United: -10000
Liverpool: +2500


Prediction for Premier League top-four

(May 5, 2023)

3. Newcastle – 74 points
4. Manchester United – 71 points
5. Liverpool – 69 points
6. Brighton – 65 points
7. Tottenham – 62 points
8. Aston Villa – 59 points

(April 27, 2023)

3. Manchester United – 75 points
4. Newcastle – 70 points
5. Liverpool – 67 points
6. Tottenham – 65 points
7. Brighton – 61 points

(April 2, 2023)

3. Manchester United – 74 points
4. Newcastle – 66 points
5. Tottenham – 66 points
6. Liverpool – 62 points
7. Brighton – 61 points

(March 15, 2023)

4. Liverpool – 72 points
5. Tottenham – 66 points
6. Brighton – 64 points
7. Newcastle – 60 points


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10 things we learned in the Premier League – Week 37

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Manchester City are Premier League champions, and they didn’t even need their Sunday win over Chelsea to get there.

Arsenal couldn’t keep any pressure on City with a loss at desperate Forest, but the Gunners weren’t the only North London side to mess up their lines on Saturday.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

And there’s a bit more clarity on the relegation picture, although Leicester City would love to muddle it a bit more when Week 37 of the Premier League season concludes at Newcastle on Monday (watch live, 3pm ET on USA Network and online via NBCSports.com).

Here’s where our writers are living, as Joe Prince-Wright (JPW), Andy Edwards (AE), and Nicholas Mendola (NM) share their observations from across the most recent PL games.


1. Much-changed Man City keeps rolling despite title party distraction (Man City 1-0 Chelsea): Pep Guardiola made nine changes from the team which battered Real Madrid in midweek and three of them combined for the only goal as Kalvin Phillips played in Cole Palmer who set up Julian Alvarez to finish. Chelsea huffed and puffed as Conor Gallagher hit the post while Raheem Sterling (who got a great reception from the City fans when he was subbed off) twice came close as caretaker boss Frank Lampard at least saw his side dig in. But it was City’s fringe players and youngsters who showed just how good they are as Guardiola will have the luxury of resting his star men for the final two Premier League games and ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3 and the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10. (JPW)

2. Arsenal go quietly into the night (Nottingham Forest 1-0 Arsenal): In the end, this was a sad way for Arsenal’s title hopes to officially go out. With their Premier League Trophy hopes hanging by less than a thread, Arsenal managed just five shots for a combined 0.22 xG in the second half. The Gunners hardly threatened Forest despite the severity of their circumstances for the final 70 minutes. (AE)

3. Positive vibes for Liverpool despite top-four setback (Liverpool 1-1 Aston Villa): Liverpool are now 10 games unbeaten and although they will be very disappointed to lose ground in the top four race they cannot complain with the way they’ve turned things around this season. Jurgen Klopp’s side were caught out by a very good Villa side in the first half but they battered them in the second half and could have easily won the game. Despite the changes which are coming up to their team this summer, this feels like a Jurgen Klopp Liverpool side once again. Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota are clicking through the gears and the quartet of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Mohamed Salah have all stood tall. Central midfield remains the key area for Klopp to add a new star this summer and he already knew that. However, this run at the end of the season has also told Klopp something he didn’t know: there’s no need to totally revamp this Liverpool squad and given a few key additions they will be ready to challenge for major trophies again next season. Even if they don’t finish in the top four as they hope for Newcastle and Manchester United to slip up, Liverpool’s finish to this season proves they aren’t as far from the glory days of the last few seasons as everyone, including themselves, thought they were. (JPW)

4. First season a success for Erik ten Hag (Bournemouth 0-1 Manchester United): Two games into his tenure, it looked like Erik ten Hag might not make it two months in the job. But it is quite clear 35 games later that the Dutchman has laid some important groundwork ahead of a pivotal summer transfer window for Manchester United. A 4th- (or 3rd-) place finish is all but guaranteed, which was objective No. 1 when the season began. There is also no small matter of the FA Cup final, and the chance to deny Manchester City a treble of their own, still remaining as well. Champions League football is nice, but finishing the season by lifting a second trophy — at City’s expense, no less — would be the real treat for United fans. (AE)

5. Spurs season summed up in 90 minutes (Spurs 1-3 Brentford): Tottenham are a team who are truly breathtaking…. in both good and bad ways. In the first half against Brentford we saw Harry Kane score a breathtaking goal to make it 1-0 and they were slick, full of energy, and should have been at least 2-0 up as their switch to a 4-2-3-1 system with Dejan Kulusevski roaming centrally seemed to bamboozle Brentford. But then the Bees figured it out and picked Tottenham apart. It seemed like Spurs thought they had the game won and in the second half we saw a breathtakingly bad display from Tottenham. This Jekyll and Hyde team put in yet another Jekyll and Hyde display and Spurs are capable of delivering moments of magic alongside moments of wretchedness. This is a season to forget and whoever comes in next has to totally reset everything behind-the-scenes, with or without Harry Kane, as Spurs have to start from scratch for real this time. Since Mauricio Pochettino left they have been papering over the cracks but if they seriously want to be a top four team who challenges for trophies, major DIY is needed this summer. (JPW)

6. Brighton is going to Europe (Brighton 3-1 Southampton): There it is: Roberto De Zerbi’s men are finishing in the top six unless they don’t field a goalkeeper or something equally strange over the final two matches of the season. Brighton’s full-team contribution was again on display Sunday, even accounting for the opposition. Evan Ferguson, 18, added to his impressive rookie display with his fifth and sixth goals of the season, and there were no passengers at the Amex. And what else can be said about Pascal Gross, now the new Brighton top Premier League goal scorer. Brighton in Europe. Wow. Well-earned. (NM)

7. Toffees take safety fight to final day (Wolves 1-1 Everton): When Sean Dyche was appointed as Frank Lampard’s successor, the path forward seemed clear: He would get the Toffees to defend like Dyche’s Burnley teams and that would be enough itself to keep them clear of the bottom-three. Yet Everton have done no such thing under Dyche. In 17 games under his watch, Everton have kept just four clean sheets, while conceding multiple goals 11 times (including six of their last eight outings), and three or more goals on five occasions. (AE)

8. Leaky Leeds no more solid under latest boss (West Ham 3-1 Leeds): It’s now been 12 Premier League games since Leeds or its opponent kept a clean sheet. Seven of those matches are Leeds losses. Leeds has conceded 74 goals this season, a league-high, and may well lose their place in the top flight despite being middle of the pack in goals scored. It hasn’t been pretty even if it has been entertaining, and it’s a bit of cruel trick to imagine a manager could’ve come in and just taught a poor defensive unit to defend a lot better. Yes, even Big Sam Allardyce. If Leeds goes down — and who knows what Tottenham will look like at Elland Road next week — it will be because of a variety of factors, but not being able to stop the other team will be the primary reason. (NM)

9. End-of-season saunter shows next season promise for Cottagers, Eagles (Fulham 2-2 Crystal Palace): Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic combining with quality in the final third for Fulham coupled with flashes of brilliance from Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise at the other end proved how fun both Fulham and Palace can be when they are at their best. When the pressure is off both of these teams have players who can express themselves and finishing in the top 10 is not out of the question for next season. Both could push for Europe if they get their summer recruitment right, plus Marco Silva stays at Fulham and Palace figure out the direction they want to go in whether or not Roy Hodgson sticks around in some capacity. Yes, both teams were ‘on the beach’ down by the banks of the River Thames as some mistakes were made by both sets of players. But when the sun is shinning and both teams have impressed given their resources, the beach is fun. So are Fulham and Crystal Palace. (JPW)

10. Brentford answers questions but more remain (Spurs 1-3 Brentford): Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa both looked very good as the Bees began a long time without suspended star striker Ivan Toney. But what will the Bees look like next year without Toney, as their wonderful top-half campaign comes up short of European football. Brentford’s recruitment has been both wise and reliable, but there’s a lot to do to remain a team capable of the top ten. With suitors for Thomas Frank and Mathias Jensen surely around the corner, what will the Bees do in 2023-24?