It has opened everyone’s eyes to just what is possible with clever signings, good management and a strong dose of belief. While those two continue to defy the odds, some of the biggest clubs in England have had a season to forget and should be hanging their heads in shame. But which one has most reason to be embarrassed?
Manchester City
AFTER opening the campaign with five straight wins, the Premier League title looked to be City’s to lose. And over the course of the next six months, that is exactly what they have managed to do. Remember, they have still not won successive league games since October, which only Aston Villa have failed to do in the same period.
Whatever happens between now and May 15, this will be their lowest points tally for five years and they are scrapping for fourth with Manchester United. They have won the Capital One Cup and could still win the Champions League, but regular City watchers would point at how few times they have genuinely played well all season, and especially in the league, as a big negative.
Arsenal
ARSENAL could still end up as Premier League Champions but their shame comes from the fact they are 11 points behind leaders Leicester with only seven games to go. It will take a collapse from the Foxes coupled with unbelievable form from the Gunners to bring about the scenario and it’s the implausibility of that which is the reason for the criticism of manager Arsene Wenger and his players.
Arsenal are doing OK, but when the real pressure was on a month ago, they buckled in true Arsenal fashion, going out of Europe and the FA Cup and throwing away the title. With the rest of the big boys nowhere to be seen, this will always be the one that got away.
Manchester United
MANCHESTER UNITED are in ‘Save our Season’ territory. They are locked in a battle with City for the final Champions League spot and face a huge FA Cup quarter-final replay at West Ham next Wednesday as they battle for the final attempt at silverware. United must do either to avoid this campaign being written off as an unmitigated disaster.
Their return to the Champions League ended at the group stage, the title challenge went down with the Christmas decorations, and what is worse, going to Old Trafford has become a chore with an incredible six goalless draws to endure.
Chelsea
WHERE do we start? Chelsea are heading for the worst defence of the title since Leeds finished 17th (out of 22) in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992/93. They have gone from the top of the heap to mid-table mediocrity in the space of a few months – a fall that cost manager Jose Mourinho his job. Chelsea cannot point to injuries for any of their woes like City, United or Arsenal.
Their best players simply gave up under Mourinho, which is unforgivable. Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and especially Eden Hazard have been shadows of the players who drove them on to the title last year. There has not even been a cup run to keep the season going. The Blues have seven games left under interim boss Guus Hiddink and absolutely nothing to play for – an unprecedented state of affairs for the club’s owner, Roman Abramovich.
Liverpool
LIVERPOOL’s embarrassment should come from the fact that manager Jurgen Klopp arrived in October and has effectively been given a whole season to assess his squad. This is a club with 18 league titles giving out the message that 2015/16 is not important, it’s all about next year.
The Reds are currently ninth in the league, which if they do not improve upon would be their worst league effort since they were promoted back to the old First Division in 1962 under Bill Shankly. Now Klopp has his qualities and could win the Europa League, but would he really want Liverpool’s worst league season in 54 years on his CV?
Everton
IF Everton win the FA Cup on May 21, they can be scratched off this list. But in Premier League terms, to sit in 12th place two points behind Tony Pulis’ warriors at West Brom is a gross underachievement. Manager Roberto Martinez has talked about the club having their best squad of players since they won the league in 1985 and 1987.
Romelu Lukaku, John Stones and Ross Barkley would be welcomed by most top European clubs, while the supporting cast is full of fine Premier League players. So to be in the bottom half closer to the relegation spots than the Champions League places is not very good, and especially to have a record of just four wins and a whopping eight defeats at Goodison Park.
Newcastle United
LAST season’s final day escape from relegation was supposed to mark a line in the sand for Newcastle. There would be no more flirting with the drop, there would be major investment in the team and the cups would be taken more seriously. Millions have been spent on the side this year but they are not flirting with relegation, they are positively staring it in the face, as they are six points adrift of safety with only seven games remaining.
Individually, Newcastle have signed good players in the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Andros Townsend and Georginio Wijnaldum, but collectively it has been a disaster. Defensively they are awful, while few Premier League sides have been so short of willpower and character as this bunch.
Aston Villa
RELEGATION after a horrific season could be confirmed tomorrow for Aston Villa. However, we have all known that Villa have been going down for months, so the actual date of their descent is irrelevant. Sunderland and Derby ended Premier League seasons with fewer points (15 and 11 respectively), but they were both newly promoted sides, so there is an element of understanding about their plight.
Villa have been truly dreadful from the director’s box to the football field via the dugout, a disgrace to the club’s proud tradition. The men in Claret and Blue have stunk the league out with a series of awful displays in the last two months, and the lack of confidence, ability and sheer running power has been staggering.
Leeds United
LEEDS UNITED are also worthy of mention on the 2015/16 Hall of Shame. The once mighty Yorkshire giants are languishing in the bottom half of the Championship, with a return to the top flight looking further away than ever.
The only time most football fans hear about Leeds now is for the antics of their madcap Italian owner Massimo Cellino rather than any fine results or hint of a return to better times. Is this really the same club that reached the Champions League semi-finals 15 years ago?
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