Premier League big six 20-21 season review

The top six clubs in the Premier League had a mixed season, with some attaining great success and others enduring frustration. Manchester City and Chelsea both had great success as their owners Sheikh Mansoor and Roman Abramovich saw their ambitions and finances work wonders

The two biggest clubs in England, Manchester United and Liverpool, did not have a great season. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur finished way behind the leading pack in the league. Tottenham suffered another cup heartbreak.

20/21 showed how far the mighty Arsenal have fallen.

Tottenham have had a few good recent seasons, sans trophies, however. 20/21 proved to be another trophyless campaign for the North London club.

Manchester City were deserved Premier League champions, winning it for the fifth time. This happened following a shaky start with them seeing a great upturn in their form post-Christmas.

They also defeated Spurs in the League Cup final to win their fourth League Cup in a row. Liverpool's title defence wasn't stellar, though getting into the top four provided respite and meaning to the season for the Anfield club.

Chelsea secured a spot in the top four again, whilst Man United finished second, albeit far behind Man City. Arsenal and Tottenham had poor league seasons, finishing eighth and seventh respectively.

Chelsea won their second Champions League title by defeating City, in what was the second all-English final in three years (following Liverpool vs. Tottenham in 2019).

The Stamford Bridge club won 1-0, with the winner coming from German playmaker Kai Havertz. It was a well-deserved tactical display, denying Guardiola his first CL since 2011 at Barcelona.

All of these clubs also pushed for a European Super League, leaving many fans irate, angry, disillusioned, and distressed. They all pulled out of the scheme after the backlash, though this does not mean the avenue is dead, or will be forever.

The proposal saw major protests at the Emirates Stadium, Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. An unprecedented pitch invasion occurred at Old Trafford, showing the fans' disgust with the Super League and the Glazer Family.

This happened before a game against old enemy Liverpool, leading to its postponement.

It added an extra dimension to this season, and perhaps showed the ever-growing greed and revenue-seeking amongst the big clubs.

There were unprecedently chaotic scenes at Old Trafford, before the game vs. arch-rivals Liverpol

All clubs at all levels have defined parameters for success. Did the big six meet them? With the Champions League and other competitions, how far did each go in reaching their goals?

In this piece, I'll examine and rate how the 20/21 season has been for each club accordingly.

Big six club ratings - Man City/Man United/Liverpool

Manchester City

Man City captain Fernandinho lifting the Premier League title

Expectations - To regain the league title, win the Champions League

Reality - PL winners/League Cup winners

After losing the title to Liverpool in 19-20, City came back strong to regain it and win their fifth Premier League trophy.

The Champions League final was disappointing due to Guardiola again experimenting with the line-up. He was tactically outdone by Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea as City couldn't break the Blues down to force a goal.

However, City and Pep will have a go at it again, and at this point are favourites to retain the PL. They will certainly be amongst the CL favourites to boot.

Rating - 8/10

Manchester United

Dejected Man United players are losing the Europa league final to Villareal on penalties

Expectations - to challenge for the title and win a trophy

Reality - 2nd place finish, but way behind City in points and quality.

Club legend and current boss Ole Gunnar Solksjear came under fire due to several poor performances during the season. A growing number of United fans believe he is not the right manager to take United forward, and this season hasn't abated his detractors.

This was coupled with longstanding angst towards the club's owners, the Glazer family. They added United to the failed Super League move, culminating in two massive fan protests. The latter saw fans storm the Old Trafford pitch in unprecedented scenes, thus postponing the game vs. arch-rival Liverpool.

Losing the Europa League final against Villareal was a huge setback and would have been United's first trophy since the 2017 Europa League. This, in the eyes of Ole's critics, showed why he wasn't suitable for big United glory.

Villareal's manager Unai Emery stifled United, and Solksjaer apparently had no response tactically. The penalty-shootout was tense and David de Gea missed to give Villareal an 11-10 victory. With better game-management, Ole could have secured a win and a cup, though ultimately this was beyond him.

All the same, it was another season behind their Mancunian rivals, and despite being second it wasn't a sound season at all. It's self-evident that major investment is needed just to compete for the league again - let alone to win it.

Jadon Sancho may join - as was planned for last season - but replacements in central midfield and central defence are also needed. However, it has been a strong season for Bruno Fernandes, as he contributed with key goals, and Paul Pogba too. Luke Shaw showed great improvement, and keeper Henderson too proved he can be an able number 1.

It's an interesting time for United - it's time for Ole to prove the detractors wrong. And for the Glazers to back him and prove they want United to prosper.

Rating - 5/10

Liverpool

Not the best title defence for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool

Expectations - to retain the league and win a trophy

Reality - top four attained, but a long way behind champions Man City

Liverpool went into the season as champions of England for the first time in 30 years. Signings such as Thiago in midfield and Diogo Jota in attack were shrewd and seemed primed at helping them retain the title.

However, things didn't go to plan. The injury to Virgil van Dijk was costly, as was the loss of Joel Matip. They had to resort to playing central midfielders in defence, such as captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.

But the issue wasn't just injuries to key players. Star forward Sadio Mane didn't perform at his prior levels. Mohamed Salah scored plenty as normal but narrowly missed out on the Golden Boot to Spurs' Harry Kane. Roberto Firmino, however, didn't really take off, and his relative lack of goalscoring became more apparent.

Liverpool were also sussed out somewhat tactically, and perhaps Jurgen Klopp's "heavy metal" football had become a little stale. Home league losses to Burnley and Brighton didn't go down well, especially after going dozens of games at home unbeaten.

With good additions and the return of key players, Liverpool can go strong again next season. Though this may have to be melded with a plan B (or general tactical alternatives) from manager Jurgen Klopp.

Rating 5/10

Big six club ratings - Chelsea/Tottenham/Arsenal

Chelsea

Champions of Europe Chelsea FC

Expectations - to challenge for the title and win a trophy

Reality - European Champions

With club legend Frank Lampard as manager, and over £200m spent in the brief inter-season window, hopes were high of a PL challenge.

This didn't materialise however, and bad form in the mid-season led to Lampard's dismissal. It was a difficult decision, given his legendary status as a player, but he did not cut it and had to be dismissed. Club owner Roman Abramovich himself expressed in a statement his sorrow in doing so, but results were results and it had to occur.

Abramovich replaced him with German boss Thomas Tuchel, who previously managed PSG and Borussia Dortmund. He immediately brought defensive and attacking improvements, and Chelsea soon recovered their top four league position.

But signings such as Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, along with Hakim Ziyech, didn't really prosper as intended. Christian Pulisic, the star American wide-man, also hasn't shone as anticipated.

Losing the FA Cup final to Leicester was undoubtedly a blow.

But this was rectified in a big way via defeating Man City in the CL final in Porto, Portugal.

This was Chelsea's second CL in their history and a fine way to end the season. Summer signing Kai Havertz got the winner, despite average PL form, to down Guardiola and company.

With more investment over the summer, a title challenge could well materialise in the 21/22 season.

Rating - 9/10

Tottenham

Forelorn Spurs players after losing the League Cup final

Expectation - to finish in the top four and win a trophy

Reality - Europa Conference league football via 7th place finish

Jose Mourinho, whom Spurs hired to win trophies, ultimately failed and was sacked a few days before Spurs' League Cup final with Man City.

Spurs lost the final 1-0, and despite the narrow scoreline were thoroughly outplayed. Whether Mourinho's presence, and record of success, would have boosted them is forever moot.

Mourinho suffered more of the man-management issues he faced at Chelsea and Man United. He annoyed players due to abrasiveness, and his playing style was again in the "park the bus" mold. There were also rumours of him not getting on with club chairman Daniel Levy over numerous issues.

Moreover, Harry Kane has been touted strongly as leaving Spurs, and if he does leave a strong rebuild is in order. Kane is a world-class striker, and to replace him with a like-for-like would be difficult. He also won both the PL Golden Boot and Playmaker of the Year awards, proving his quality at the elite level.

Tottenham finished above Arsenal again, which would only bring scant consolation. They beat Leicester City 4-2 in the PL Round 38, finishing seventh, one place above their arch-rivals. This secured them Europa Conference League football for the 21/22 season.

The low point of the season, bar the League Cup loss, was defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League. After being 2-0 up in the first leg, Spurs folded 3-0 in the second, in part contributing to Mourinho's dismissal.

At the time of writing, Daniel Levy had not yet found a replacement for Mourinho. There were strong links to Antonio Conte, though this broke down due to alleged negotiating differences. It is an interesting time for Spurs, as much needs to be done to regain a top four place, let alone win big trophies.

Rating - 4/10

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta at Arsenal's 2-1 loss in the EL semi-final first leg vs. Villareal

Expectations - to get top four in the PL and win a trophy

Reality - Finished 8th place in PL

Fan angst towards Mikel Arteta rose during the season as his inexperience cost the side majorly.

This culminated in the Europa League semi-final defeat to Villareal, a side led by former manager Unai Emery. Arteta played unique and speculative formations in both legs, which strongly contributed to the loss. This was perceived by many fans as arrogant and needless, and played into Emery's own game-plan.

The FA Cup defence ended via a loss to Southampton in the fourth-round. Eventual League Cup winners Man City dispatched Arsenal with ease in their quarter-final tie at the Emirates Stadium.

Star forward and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn't prosper as much as in previous seasons. But Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe emerged as prime youth talents in the side. Despite being only 19, many fans view Saka as the outstanding Arsenal player of the season. He also made the England Euro 2020 squad and is likely to feature prominently in the forthcoming tournament.

Thomas Partey was a star signing on transfer deadline day, though due to injury and the side's poor performance he did not get a chance to shine. Record signing Nicolas Pepe performed well. With two seasons under his belt at Arsenal, the 21/22 season could be a major one for him.

At one point, Arsenal were 15th in the league, and there was a genuine and near unthinkable fears of relegation. It took a run of wins around Christmas/New Year vs. Chelsea, West Brom, Brighton and Newcastle to attain a more respectable position.

Arsenal, too, were part the Super League debacle. Club owner KSE apologised at a fans' forum, with protests occurring at various home games. With two 8th place finishes in a row, more fans are directing attention to KSE for Arsenal's woes. Eighth place also cost Arsenal UEFA competition in 21/22, for the first time since 1995/96. With less revenue incoming consequently, fans are increasing the heat on KSE accordingly.

Overall, it was a poor season, and way below the expectations for a club of Arsenal's size. Much needs to be done to get the Gunners back into the top four, let alone win their first league since 2004.

Rating - 3/10