However, with the Champions League final hoving into view, I though I would offer a few thoughts.
Well, put it simply, in spite of Rafa and his somewhat odd belief that Liverpool is better, the table does not lie. United won the league. They are currently the best in England.
It was a long and winding season with Liverpool jumping off to a fantastic start, whilst United's machine groaned into action. By Christmas, Liverpool where 14 points clear.
By the end of the season, United had not only hauled that difference back, but overtaken Liverpool, and put 4 points over them. By any yardstick, that is the mark of a champion-quality team!
Chelsea's season was full of "what ifs." A club stocked with excellent players, and at the start of the season, they had Scolari who was touted as a fantastic international manager. However, for whatever reason, he was deemed to be unable to cut it at club level, and was axed. Chelsea struggled to relly gel and get going. Though they did keep close to Liverpool and United. What would their season have been like had they had Hiddink from the start? However, since he is going after the FA Cup final, it is purely a rhetorical question.
Arsenal was another season of total underperformance. Wenger has built a squad of talented young players. However, they are sorely lacking an experienced older player who coul control the younger players. Something United have with Giggs, Scholes, and Van Der Sar. Arsenal has Silvestre. Who lets face it, was a good squad player with United, but not THE heart of the defence. It is something Wenger has lacked all year, leaving them to duke it out with Aston Villa for large parts of the season, and where in real risk of finishing out of the top 4. Having said all that, they will have to qualify for the Champions League, and there are going to be some pretty tough teams that they could draw. Celtic, amongst them.
United themselves are in the process of pulling out a pretty amazing season. League Cup, World Club Cup, Premier league, and through to the finals of the Champions League.
United have played a huge amount of games, and 2/3rds the way through, the squad looked jaded and tired. Only to roar back, and stamp an end on the slump with a demolition of Arsenal.
Ronaldo has not had the same sort of year that he had last year. However, that was allways going to be unlikely. He has still delivered, and plenty of other players have stepped up and played their part. Rooney has a few, along with Berbatov, and Tevez. Who may yet end up as a United player come the end of June. We wait and see on that score.
The foot of the table has proven even more interesting. But to be frank, the teams that dropped are the ones to deserve it.
West Brom: By far an away the worst in the league. Played good football, but left huge gaps all over the place which Premier League teams have the capability to exploit, whilst last year, other clubs failed to do so.
Middlesborough: They stink.Naff manager, and stupid decisions. Enough said.
Newcastle: Been a big club on a slide ever since Keegans tirade about Ferguson on TV. A slide that has only been accelarating ever since then, to take on a fateful dive when Ashley took over the club. Poor players, too many managers, a total lack of self-belief. The club has been totally poisoned inside and out. The relegation will give them a chance to clear out the locker room, and purge the system. Hopefully they can re-build, and get back into the top flight. However, be warned! Leeds United are a big club, and look where they are...
Of the clubs who have replaced them coming up...
Wolves: Champions of the Championship, and rightly so. Played good football, scored lots of goals. Have a pretty good defence, and in Mick McCarthy, a manager with a pretty good history. A loyal fanbase will expect them to make more of a fist of it than the last time they where up. Hopefully they will have learnt from past mistakes.
Birmingham: Another club with plenty of of good football in it. Well organised, and hopefully willing to learn from the past so as to avoid the drop next time round.
Burnley: Whilst I was rooting for Sheffield United (sorry Dad!) I was happy to see them come up. A plucky team that likes to play football the right way. A solid team that just got on with the job last year, and surprised everyone. Sorry Burnley, but it is likely you will take West Broms place as the whipping boys!
OK, prediction time. The season is just over, so lets get on with the pointlessly optimistic predictions game!
Champions: Manchester United. Everyone says next year is Liverpools year as they keep on improving. However, Sir Alex Ferguson will look at his team, and see where it needs help, and will strengthen likewise!
Runners-up: Liverpool. Relying on Gerrard and Torres is too much pressure! They need more players like them, and I dont see them bringing in enough over the summer. If one gets injured, Liverpool hurt, and they start dropping silly points.
3rd: Arsenal. I suspect they will improve, maybe taking the FA Cup along the way, or the League Cup, but the club is a long way back from United and Liverpool at the moment.
4th: Chelsea. Lets face it, these are the top 4 in England. I predict 4th for Chelsea. Why? No idea. They need to bring in a top manager, and THEN he needs to get a handle on the squad. Didnt work out so well for Big Phil did it...
OK, that is the top, and for the bottom...
20th and first to be relegated: Sorry. Burnley. Well organised a club it may be, but it is a mote compared to United. Coming up from 6th means there is a massive gap in the playing levels for the team, and financially, they will struggle to compete with those round them (after all, EVERYONE has access to the Premier Leagues wealth!)
19th: I am going to go with Hull. They have had a good ride, and if they get some good players in over the summer, they may survive. However, I dont see them repeating last year and grabbing their survival points in the first half of the season. Its going to be a long slog for them.
18th: Birmingham/Stoke. Simply, there is going to be a whole bunch of teams duking it out at the bottom end, with no-one able to build any kind of safety net for themselves, and I am goingto cop out and say that for both of these teams, if they dont make some smart moves, they will find themselves down in the mud. It does not take much to drop down there!
Anyhoo. That is it for now.
I may do a write up after the Champions League Final. Depending on how I feel...
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