The European season is over and the season it has been spectacular to say the least. From Liverpool breaking their 30 year wait for a premier league title to Real Madrid taking advantage of the chaos in Barcelona to win another league title. Other leagues were however predictable for instance Juventus extended their league winning streak to 9 seasons in a row and in the Bundesliga Bayern Munich made it 8 league wins in a row. Below is an analysis on how your beloved European leagues panned out.
PREMIER LEAGUE
· Winners
The 19/20 season was all about Liverpool they were simply sensational. They were setting and breaking records all season long for instance they have the biggest lead at the top with 25 points, most home wins in a row with 24 not forgetting the 61 points amassed from the opening 21 matches was the most ever gained by a team in any of Europe’s top five leagues. Their campaign was simply superb and as a united fan difficult to watch they are among the premier league’s best match.
Man United barely managed to make it into the champions league thanks in part to Bruno Fernandes who ensured that they closed the 18 point gap to Leicester city to finish in third with a 4 point lead on Leicester. The mercurial midfielder scored 8 and assisted 7 for 15 goal involvement in a 14 game period which is ridiculous ensuring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s blushes were spared.
Sheffield united had a standout campaign amassing 54 points the most they have ever managed in a single premier league campaign. They were phenomenal and Chris Wilder’s 3-5-2 system with its overlapping center backs causing opposition teams all kinds of problems and to think they were made favourites to go down by bookies and pundits alike.
· Losers
Arsenal finished in a disappointing 8th position which was their lowest in 25 years. It was topsy turvy campaign ending with three different managers something that goes against the previous steady leadership of Arsene Wenger. If they did not win the FA cup then the campaign would have gone down as the worst in recent memory meaning they would not have qualified for any European competition.
Watford and Bournemouth were both relegated after a disastrous season for both clubs and in the case of Watford their indecision and impatience proved their undoing, whereas Bournemouth’s ethos of playing easy on the eye football backfired spectacularly. This was especially disappointing since the caliber of players at their disposal was high for example Doucoure, Deulofeu, Wilson, King etc just to name a few.
Norwich’s season on the other hand was dreadful they became the first side in English top flight to be relegated five times in the premier league era. They lost a whopping 27 matches and won only 5 times a record that ensured they finished bottom with a measly 21 points.
SkyBet Championship
· Winners
Leeds united managed to make their premier league return after 16 years in the cold. It was long overdue having narrowly missed out last season when they lost in the playoffs to Derby County but now they have arrived at the promised land and Bielsa’s men look ready to make the same impact as Wolves and Sheffield United.
West Brom is the other team to earn promotion to the premier league. They had to fend off the challenge from Brentford to earn the second and final automatic promotion position.
Fulham on the other hand won the most expensive football game on earth to earn a mouthwatering 135 million pounds over the next three years.
· Losers
Wigan were relegated after losing their appeal against a 12 point deduction as a result of the club going into administration on 1 July when their new Hong Kong-based owners conceded they could not support the club financially. This meant their penalty was applied following their 1-1 draw against Fulham on the final day. This meant they finished second from bottom instead of 13th.
Hull City and Charlton also joined Wigan on their way down after disappointing campaigns though Charlton will be disappointed having missed out on safety by a solitary point.
LA LIGA
The saying ‘it is not how you start a race but how you finish the race that matters’ perfectly describes the just concluded campaign. Barcelona were on the front foot for most of the campaign but their inconsistency and dependency on the evergreen Messi proved to be their undoing. Real Madrid on the other hand banked on greater defensive solidity to spur them onto the title.
· Winners
Real Madrid’s season began in disarray getting thrashed 7-3 in pre-season by Atletico Madrid casting doubt on their ability to dethrone Barcelona as champions. Their improved defence played a major part in their title charge, they conceded only 25 goals over 38 matches ensuring they finished the campaign with the best defensive stats in the league. The balance between defence and attack ensured that Real Madrid sailed steadily towards the title.
Sevilla have had a fantastic season that ended with them earning a champions league position to finish 4th. With their use of quick transitions to take advantage of the pace of they have on the wings and up front as well. Their style of play was definitely pleasing to the eye and their champions league spot was richly deserved.
· Losers
Barcelona surrendered their La Liga crown to bitter rivals Real Madrid. Their transfer policy proved to be their undoing with 120 million euros signing Griezmann struggling to fit into the system, joining a long list of expensive signings that have failed to live up to the hype. Sacking their manager mid-season did not help either and it unsettled the team with a string of losses giving Real the advantage.
Espanyol were relegated after a poor season in the top flight after losing a whooping 23 league games and winning only 5 league games. Mallorca and Leganes join them in the drop after similarly disappointing resuls.
SERIE A
· Winners
Lazio began the season with the ambition of getting into the champions league but they exceeded expectations. They were on a hot streak not losing a single league match since late September and were it not for the lockdown they could have won the league. Five defeats after the restart ensured that their league aspirations were vanquished however this was a spectacular season for Lazio
Inter Milan had a hot start to the season being among the early front runners for the scudetto but their inconsistent season lead to them finishing a point behind eventual champions Juventus which is a hard pill to swallow. This season was however a positive since Lukaku and Lautaro proved to be world class strikers which is a foundation to build from.
Atalanta are the feel good story of the 19/20 Gasperini’s men were on a roll this season. They scored 98 league goals this season setting a new record for goals scored. They also had three different scorers with 15 plus league goals that is Zapata and Illicic with 15 and Luis Muriel with 17 matching a 70 year old record. They finished third in the league and if they retain their rising stars they can make a charge next season.
· Losers
Juventus won the league but they were underwhelming for most parts. Their star forwards Ronaldo had to go on a hot streak to ensure they won a ninth consecutive scudetto scoring 20 plus goals in 2020 alone. Juventus are renown for their astute defence but this season it was awful despite signing the most coveted defender in Europe in the form of De Ligt. This inconsistency proved costly as they crashed out of the champions league and that was the final nail in the coffin for Sarri as he was sacked.
Brescia and Lecce who had gained promotion lost their league status as they were relegated after woeful seasons losing 21 and 25 games respectively. They are joined by bottom of the table Spal whose form did not warrant a league stay finishing with 28 losses, 27 goals scored and a massive 77 goals conceded.
BUNDESLIGA
· Winners
Bayern won their eighth successive league title and they were superb since sacking Niko Kovac and appointing Hans-Dieter Flick. Unlike Barcelona their fortunes changed for the better lead by the ever deadly Robert Lewandowski who scored 34 league goals from a possible 34 games. Their form since the restart was scintillating 7 games played 22 goals scored there was no stopping them.
Borussia Monchengladbach improved on their fifth place last season to finish fourth. Young players like Zakaria and Thuram also stood out as they established themselves as first teamers and offer a ray of hope moving forward.
· Losers
Dortmund title challenge was abysmal and even goal machine Haaland could not spur them on even with his record setting numbers. Dortmund is an unbalanced team with a superb attack to rival any team on the planet but their defence is woeful conceding 41 goals the most of any side finishing in the top four.
RB Leipzig were top of the table during the winter break but they also fell by the way side as Bayern charged to the title. They could not even muster the energy to finish second finishing third 16 points behind the champions.
LIGUE 1
· Winners
The league was stopped due to the corona virus outbreak and as such PSG were crowned champions and even if the season was to continue there was no way the chasing pack were catching them. Psg are a juggernaut in the league boasting massive resources and world class talents like Neymar, Mbappe and Icardi to name a few.
Marseille are back in the champions league after their second place finish. They were the second best team in the league and now the riches they will gain may help in rebuilding the squad for a title challenge.
· Losers
Lyon were a disappointing team this season and their seventh place finish reflects that. They could not string a couple of results together and injuries to their stars did not help either with stars such as Depay suffering a season ending injury.
Toulouse will be disappointed by their form that has cost them their league status.
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