Ligue 1: Monaco, Lyon qualify for UCL; Weah’s first start for PSG

It’s time to wrap a lovely bow on the 2017/18 Premier League season as our writers sit down to discuss all that has happened over the past nine months.

[ MORE: PST’s 2017/18 season reviews ]

From Manchester City’s remarkable season to Mohamed Salah‘s brilliance, memorable games, goals and more, let’s take stock of a memorable campaign.

Here it goes…

What is your overriding memory from the 2017/18 season? 

Joe Prince-Wright: I’m actually going to go back to the opening day of the season. I was at Brighton v. Manchester City and City ran out comfortable winners in the end, but you could just tell how much better they were in every, single aspect. They started the season as they meant to go on and from the very first whistle to the very last they were totally obsessed with scoring as many goals as they could as fast as they could and being utterly ruthless. Record number of points (100), goals (106), wins in a season (32), biggest title-winning margin (19 points) and largest goal differential (+79) says it all. A joy to watch all season long.

Nicholas Mendola: Ultimately, it’s Man City’s season, primarily in September/October when they were seemingly hanging five, six, and seven goals on everyone, but my “Blink” Gladwellian answer is Paul Pogba‘s pair of goals in leading the Manchester Derby comeback.

Kyle Bonn: Manchester City’s dominance is easily the biggest story of the season, and for that reason the one thing that sticks out in my mind. They were fallible yet beautiful. It’s tough to start anywhere else but here.

Matt Reed: It was one of the few seasons where you could get a good idea of who the champion would be within the first few weeks of the season. Man City was simply that dominant, and it was so much fun to watch them go out on a week to week basis.

Dan Karell: That I correctly predicted Man City would win it…duh! Kidding. I think though it’s a tie for Man City’s utter dominance as well as Mohamed Salah’s constant goal-scoring, both in the Champions League and the Premier League.

Okay, so, let’s get right into it: is this Man City team the best in PL history? Or do they need to win the Champions League as well as the PL to prove that?

JPW: I struggle to see anyone replicating this season again. Maybe City next season… They need to deliver the Champions League trophy in the next few seasons to truly hammer home how great this team is. I’m not sure if this is nostalgia getting in the way, but some of the Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United teams from the past would run this City team pretty close, albeit with totally different playing styles.

NM: Yes. It occurred to me when I heard a podcast mention their not only dropping 14 points this season. With the TV money going up-and-down the table, it’s difficult to imagine anyone gathering 100 points ever again… and to do it with such dominance! But it’s absolutely the best performance any team has put up in the league’s history. Better than the Invincibles. The records they’ve broken cover the gamut.

KB: This is the best performance in Premier League history. It is debatable whether it’s the best assembled Premier League team in history but it’s absolutely the best season-wide, cover-to-cover execution any team has put up in the league’s history. Better than the Invincibles. The records they’ve broken cover the gamut.

MR: Just looking at the roster that Guardiola managed to build, you’d have to say at the very least this is a top two or three team in PL history. But then you really have to dive deep into how he did it, especially the dominating nature in which he and Man City completed the task. They’re the first team to reach 100 points, which is simply astonishing in itself, and then finishing 19 points clear (over six wins) of second place is equally impressive. In short, yes, I think this is probably the best team in PL history when you consider how deep and skilled the squad is. There are at least three to four players that could be in the running for Player of the Year, and that isn’t even including goalkeeper Ederson, who proved to be one of the most underrated signings of the summer.

DK: I actually think they are. To get 100 points in the most competitive league in the world is so impressive, and even though they didn’t go unbeaten or win the treble, I still think winning 34 of 38 games is a more impressive accomplishment, as well as scoring 100 goals over a 38-game season. Just utter dominance.

Is this Pep Guardiola’s biggest achievement to date? Everyone said he couldn’t obliterate the Premier League and, er, this is awkward… he did.

JPW: I still think his treble-winning season with Barcelona in his debut campaign as a manager was his finest achievement, but this is a close second. He forced English soccer to eat its own words and, like Wenger before him, he will help redefine what the Premier League becomes.

NM: Yes, if only because when he was looking even more resplendent with Barcelona, no one was prepared for what he was concocting on the pitch. And while he’s had a chance to refine his dynamic, geniuses like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte (and Jurgen Klopp) have sorted out new ways to test it. And when you consider that Liverpool eliminated Man City from the Champions League despite being wildly out-chanced? That’s just bad fortune, not poor performance.

KB: I think a debate on Guardiola’s achievements would be a heated one, but this has to be up there, especially considering how mediocre and porous the team looked just last season. The turnaround is staggering, and that’s down to the coach. I think it certainly has a shout to be one of his greatest achievements.

MR: A Champions League title would’ve validated Guardiola’s success a bit more, but this season was dominant all throughout. It took a very talented Liverpool side, who had the benefit of familiarity over their opponent, to knock them out of the UCL, otherwise City probably would’ve gone on to win the competition.

DK: No. I still think his Champions League titles are bigger because once you get to the knockout stage, you have 8 games and it takes a bit of luck along with talent and great tactical decisions to win, and he was able to do that twice. The margins for error in the Champions League are much smaller than in the Premier League, when there’s 38 games.

Who are Man City’s biggest challengers for the title next season?

JPW: For me, they haven’t progress enough. I’m with Matt Reed on this. The squad of players they have suggests the gap to Man City should be a lot closer and although United finished second comfortably, their lack of success in Europe was shocking. Jose Mourinho has to mount a serious title challenge next season and reach the semifinals of the UCL. That’s what a club the size of United should be doing, minimum, year in, year out. Given the money Mourinho has had to spend he can no longer hide and I’d expect a major clear-out this summer. Being so far behind City, and particularly Guardiola, will have Mourinho’s skin crawling.

NM: Yes, I do. The gap is massive, but City also happened to get more than a few breaks along the way. City went 8-2, no draws, against the rest of the Top Six. That’s seemingly impossible to repeat.

KB: I think they have made tangible progress from what they were when he took over, yes. However, given the time he’s had to mend the squad, their agonizing style of play and downward trend as the season progressed are seriously worrying. I think Mourinho has a lot to prove next season, and he could be coaching for his job.

MR: No, I do not. I think United has a strong base with players like Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and David De Gea but there are certainly chemistry issues within the squad. I personally felt the Alexis Sanchez move was a bit of a desperate one from the club to keep him away from Man City. He produced on some occasions, but at times looked lost and frustrated under Mourinho’s style.

DK: It’s hard to tell. While Man United finished a comfortable second, the club hasn’t been in the title race since October, when Man City took a massive lead and never looked back. Mourinho is going to have to bring in more people who like to play for him, or he’s going to have to depart for Man United to truly progress.

If you’re Chelsea, who do you bring in to replace Antonio Conte?  

JPW: I’d actually go with the best coach they can find rather than just a flashy name. Look, Conte has made it clear: he is “only the coach” at Chelsea. They have a recruitment team and so many other people pulling the strings, so bring in a manager who actually improves players, especially the plethora of talented youngsters they have on their books out on loan all over the place. They could do a lot worse than bringing in a young, hungry manager like Eddie Howe or even Julian Nagelsmann. Look, that probably won’t happen and it will probably be Luis Enrique, but I’d do something totally different. What is the worse that can happen?

NM: Luis Enrique or Zinedine Zidane.

KB: I would get Carlo Ancelotti, if Arsenal doesn’t snag him first. He has both the pedigree and the knowledge to take a supremely talented squad and run with it immediately.

MR: Luis Enrique seems to be the logical choice now that Thomas Tuchel has gone to PSG. By all accounts, he defied the odds at Barcelona even though he wasn’t a fan favorite when he was first hired. I think he could be a steadying force at Stamford Bridge as the club looks to re-tool ahead of 2018/19.

DK: Keep it Italian and bring back Carlo Ancelotti? Go young with Julian Nagelsman or Domenico Tedesco? There’s many directions they could go…Unai Emery is available too…

Can Mohamed Salah replicate his stunning season? And which player will burst onto the scene next season and have a similar (if possible) impact?

JPW: Nah, there’s no way he can score that many goals again. It’s a bit of a fluke season but one which has been remarkable to watch and he truly deserves all of the plaudits he is getting. I still think Salah scores over 20 goals next season, for the record. As for someone else who can have a similar impact… I’m going to go with Gabriel Jesus. I think next season is truly the year he takes over from Sergio Aguero and he will get plenty of confidence from being the main man for Brazil at the World Cup next summer.

NM: Hooooo, that first one is a loaded question. I think yes, especially if Naby Keita fills a needed hole in the middle of the park to further reward the high press. I’ll cheat and say whichever of Neymar or Edinson Cavani leaves PSG for Man United.

KB: The simple answer is no. Almost no record-setting performance is repeatable. However, that is not to say he won’t have another stunning year. Salah can be just as effective without scoring 38 goals in the season. I predict he will be just as good next year. As far as a new name to consider for next campaign, how about this: Paulo Dybala. It will be supremely difficult for anyone to pry him away from Juventus, but the Argentinian was poor to finish the season, and if he flops in the World Cup or doesn’t see much time, you can bet the Italians will get plenty of calls hoping they have changed their stance on the young striker. And if he has a great World Cup, that could light up the phone lines as well, forcing a big club to make Juventus an offer they can’t refuse. A change of scenery to the bright lights in England could be just what he needs to take his career sky-high.

MR: Salah has proven to be such a dangerous player in a lot of facets of the game, which makes him such a difficult player to stop. Obviously his goalscoring is first and foremost, but he also recorded the second-most assists in the PL of the top 10 goalscorers in the league this season, which makes him more than just a finisher. I think Liverpool has somebody they can rely on for a long time, especially considering the team’s other attacking threats in Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. It’s hard to say who could be the next Salah before transfers are made, but I think someone like Wilfried Zaha could have a big impact on a top side if he moved to a bigger club. He’s proven to be very dynamic on the wing and a very capable goalscorer for lesser PL sides.

DK: I doubt he’ll score 32 goals again but I can easily see him scoring 20-25, even as teams figure out how to defend him. He’s just so tricky on the ball and is so fast, so it’s really hard to keep him in front of you as a defender. Which player will next have a similar season? Let’s say Raheem Sterling. If he could finish better, he’d have scored 30 as well.

The relegation situation saw three established PL clubs fall. Are the second tier teams getting better or are PL clubs getting complacent? 

JPW: I think PL clubs have grown complacent and very lazy with player recruitment and the Championship clubs are smarter in selecting the players they bring in. Look at Stoke, West Brom and Swansea who went down and Southampton who almost joined them. All four have been solid midtable teams but tried to become something they’re not with expensive signings and they’ve paid the price. You can’t fault teams for having ambition but you have to have a clear vision of what you are and where you want to go. Huddersfield, Newcastle and Brighton had that this season and keeping things simple and having everyone on the same page is often the hardest thing to do in a club. Wolves, Cardiff and either Fulham or Aston Villa (playoff final next weekend at Wembley) must not try to walk before they can run next season.

NM: Neither? In Newcastle, you had a sleeping giant suddenly gifted with a competent (well, way above that) manager. Brighton bought a sneaky world class player in Pascal Gross and had two PL quality center backs. Huddersfield Town was lucky to stay up and needs to spend. Next season, you’ll have a Wolves unit whose ownership will invest further in players, Cardiff who will also spend, and either Fulham or Villa with the name quality to add notable names. Could see all 2 or 3 stay up again.

KB: Both, but I think it’s mostly the former. The gap in talent from the Championship to the Premier League is lessening with each passing year. Players from promoted sides are now more likely than ever to have a strong impact over the course of a long season. Look at guys like James Tarkowski, who was playing in the Championship 2 seasons ago and is now one of the best CB’s in the Premier League. Many Championship sides have Premier League-quality academies and facilities, and it shows when they make the move up. The increased cash-flow throughout the league also helps promoted sides strengthen the squad immediately instead of surviving for a few years before seeing the profits.

MR: There’s a clear difference between the top seven or eight clubs in the PL in comparison to the rest of the field. I think it’s becoming more of a situation where teams have to have the right bit of luck in not picking up injuries and gambling on smaller-level signings in order to manage survival. It’s difficult for the bottom half clubs to spend like the Man City’s and Chelsea’s, but that will ultimately decide survival going forward for a lot of these teams.

DK: I think the 2nd-tier teams are just happy to be there, so they’re willing to play ugly, defensive soccer just to survive. The established teams fan bases meanwhile are tired of the years of defensive soccer and want more expansive play. When the managers swing and miss on key attackers and defenders, then it goes south real fast.

As plenty of PL clubs struggled along with managers they didn’t really want (ahem, Everton and West Ham), what is your one hope for the next batch of managerial appointments? 

JPW: I want to say we have finally seen the end of “experienced firefighters” taking charge but that won’t be the case. Desperate times call for desperate measures and there will always be a need for experienced in relegation battles a la Allardyce at Everton and Moyes at West Ham. Yet, I’d love to see talented coaches from the lower leagues of English soccer given a chance to build something sustainable. That’s a little pie in the sky but I really believe that it’s worth giving someone three to five years to build something special. Maybe fans need to stop putting so much pressure on the ownership groups so this happens.

NM: The end of uninspired retreads. For every Roy Hodgson, who’s probably under-appreciated anyway, we’ve seen so many grifters get by on aged reputation. Sam Allardyce hasn’t had an answer outside of “work harder” in multiple popes. Alan Pardew and Tony Pulis need to earn their way back. “Knows how to stay up” is code for “Has had a lot of chances to coach bad teams.”

KB: I’m stunned that West Ham decided to part ways with David Moyes, given the tangible improvement they saw under him. I’d love to see Sean Dyche or Eddie Howe get bigger jobs, but they should only leave for the right job, and that’s not always the first one that comes their way. Those guys have done well to wait on.

MR: I just want to see a fair process for new managers trying to break into the Premier League. For so long it’s been the same recycled managers (i.e. Allardyce, Hughes, etc.) getting positions with struggling teams. It would be nice to see younger influences come into the league and make their marks.

DK: I hope we see some of the assistants get a longer look in the Premier League. David Unsworth was given five or so games, but let’s see how he does for Everton over the course of a whole season. What about Michael Appleton with Leicester. It’s time for some fresh blood in Premier League management.

What did you make of the USMNT players in the PL this season? 

JPW: DeAndre Yedlin was the standout player as Rafael Benitez improved him defensively and he was a regular for Newcastle, while Geoff Cameron‘s campaign was blighted by injuries and the arrival of Paul Lambert at Stoke City who went down. GC will no doubt be on the move to another PL club this summer. As for Danny Williams, he was very good for Huddersfield but his time was cut short due to injury. Cameron Carter-Vickers was okay out on loan, while Emerson Hyndman struggled to break through at Bournemouth. There really is a lack of Americans in the PL, which is sad to see, as for the fourth season running there wasn’t a single USMNT goalscorer in the PL.

NM: Geoff Cameron was unlucky with his concussion, though it seemingly opened up Mark Hughes to play him at his desired DCM. DeAndre Yedlin has benefited greatly from Rafa Benitez and is a clarion call for young, talented, American players to try their hand in Europe. I also have to admit I forgot Danny Williams was in the league thanks to his season-ending injury. He was very, very good when healthy.

KB: It wasn’t great. Yedlin played well, but otherwise, there was little to show for it. Geoff Cameron was quite poor. Don’t forget Timmy Ream down in the Championship getting set to beat 17-year-old wondered Ryan Sessegnon for Fulham’s Player of the Season though!

MR: I thought DeAndre Yedlin was really strong throughout the season, and just like Newcastle went unnoticed during the campaign I thought he did as well. It’s easy to argue he was one of the best Americans in Europe in 2017/18, which is a good sign for Yedlin going forward because right back continues to be a position without a lot of depth.

DK: Not good? Ironically, as Jurgen Klinsmann basically begged his USMNT players to challenge themselves, the growing purchasing power of MLS drew so many players back to the U.S. and Canada. Of the few left, only DeAndre Yedlin had a solid season, playing 34 times with 31 starts. Geoff Cameron was relegated and Danny Williams was on the fringes for Huddersfield all season. Emerson Hyndman made just one appearance, starting in Bournemouth’s 2-1 win over Burnley in its season finale.

What was your favorite goal of the season? And your favorite match? 

JPW: Favorite goal was easily Sofiane Boufal‘s wondergoal for Southampton against West Brom. I was at St Mary’s for that game and the noise was incredible as he kept running and beating Baggies defenders. Incredible.

Favorite match was Liverpool 4-3 Man City. Again, I was on-site at Anfield and the place went nuts when Salah lobbed Ederson from 40-yards out to make it 4-1 with those rapid-fire goals. Sensational. There were also the memorable Arsenal-Man United clash at the Emirates, Arsenal-Leicester City on the opening day and the Manchester Derby at Man City when United launched that stunning Paul Pogba-led comeback to win 3-2 with City’s fans ready to celebrate their title success.

NM: The Rooney hammer from inside his own half. And selfishly I enjoyed the insane Martin Dubravka heroics when Newcastle stunned Manchester United in a match emblematic of Benitez’s overachievement with a roster bereft of forwards.

KB: Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City has to be the most memorable match of the season for me. Seemed like one of those matches where if you blinked, you missed something crazy. My favorite goal of the season might not be the best goal, but Raheem Sterling’s goal to put Manchester City up 2-0 on Stoke City in October was the perfect encapsulation of what made Manchester City so deadly this season.

MR: Goal definitely goes to Mohamed Salah against Spurs. He literally has five or six Tottenham players surrounding him during the sequence and a legitimate appeal at handball, but continues his run and does so well to get it past Hugo Lloris. Liverpool was involved in so many matches throughout the season, but their 4-3 win over Man City was definitely my favorite. The score wasn’t indicative at all of how well Jurgen Klopp’s side played, and that was the one match in league play where you really saw City look like a normal side.

DK: It’s gotta be Mo Salah vs. Tottenham. The man dribbled through the entire Spurs team before finishing over a flailing Hugo Lloris. Favorite game? Probably the Liverpool 4-3 over Man City. End to end, exciting action. What a game!

Most improved player/manager in 2017/18? 

JPW: I’m going to go with Raheem Sterling. Yes, he’s a superb player, but under Guardiola he has taken his game to a whole new level and added end product to his game as well as making better decisions on the ball. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is also another player who has not only benefited from working for a top manager in Klopp, but also being played in his preferred role of central midfield. For a manager, the most improved has to be Sean Dyche. Burnley just scrapped by the season before last but he’s improved several unfancied players (Jack Cork, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Ashley Barnes, Nick Pope) and took the Clarets to Europe. Sensational season from the Ginger Mourinho.

NM: Player is a tough one, but we’ll go two lower half players: James Tarkowski in making us forget how good Michael Keane was for the Clarets a season previous, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek was simply outstanding when healthy for Crystal Palace and should have a seat on England’s plane to Russia. Manager goes to Sean Dyche, who coaxed a Top Six contending season out of one of the smallest clubs in Premier League history. He was good before, but he went beyond stacking up defenders and refusing to substitute. He’s growing, and deserves a chance with a budget.

KB: Most improved player has to be Mohamed Salah, right? That’s what makes his season so spectacular, nobody expected it given his good but not stunning form at Roma. And the most improved manager has to be Pep Guardiola. Given how unspectacular his Manchester City team was last year, the growth of Pep from year 1 in the Premier League to year 2 was fabulous.

MR: Of anybody not named Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son was very easily the best player on Spurs throughout the season. He goes under the radar often, but the South Korea international is so technically gifted and really makes his teammates better for playing with him.

DK: Good question. Let’s go with Harry McGuire. He went from a basically unknown player to making England’s World Cup squad in basically a 12 month span. Most Improved Manager has to be Sean Dyche, for guiding his side to 7th place. Very impressive.

Good question. Let’s go with Harry McGuire. He went from a basically unknown player to making England’s World Cup squad in basically a 12 month span. Most Improved Manager has to be Sean Dyche, for guiding his side to 7th place. Very impressive.

Get on your soapbox: tells us one thing about the PL you think flew under the radar this season… Go!

JPW: Given their move to Wembley, I actually think the focus on Tottenham’s future flew a little under the radar. Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen are coveted by the biggest clubs in Europe and given Mauricio Pochettino‘s stern words at the end of the season about ambition and challenging Daniel Levy to take the club to the next level, at least financially, in their new stadium, I think it has been a little quiet in recent months on what direction Spurs will head this summer. Watch this space. Spurs have amazing potential to become one of the top teams in Europe year in, year out, for the next decade. They have to get the next few months right on and off the pitch.

NM: Burnley’s season is one of them, but I think Chelsea’s loan players thriving while their parent club stumbled was a real eye-opener. Loftus-Cheek was incredible at Palace. Kurt Zouma invaluable despite Stoke’s awful season. Kenedy helped change Newcastle’s season, and Tammy Abraham was productive at Swansea (Let alone what Michy Batshuayi did once unleashed by Borussia Dortmund). Throw in guys who left permanently in recent seasons — Nathan Ake at Bournemouth, Mo Salah, Oriol Romeu — and you have to wonder if some stability would’ve helped them see what they have in house.

KB: Wow this is actually pretty tough. We’ve covered almost everything pretty comprehensively. I think Burnley still doesn’t get enough credit for finishing 7th. They qualified for Europe! What a job Sean Dyche has done this year and over the last few years to get the club where they are. Fabulous story.

MR: The success of the promoted teams. To have all three survive was very impressive, especially with a club like Newcastle that managed to finish inside the top 10. It’s a struggle for any newcomer to find success in the league, and Huddersfield and Brighton, especially, were exciting to watch over the first two-plus months.

DK: I think one thing that wasn’t discussed a lot is how much Southampton has fallen in the last year. They went from challenging to a top 6-spot under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman to barely surviving relegation. Losing Virgil Van Dijk and other stars haven’t helped but the club’s youth ranks haven’t developed the kind of replacements it needed. Hopefully the club with a fun style of play will rebound this summer.