PREMIER LEAGUE END OF SEASON REPORT CARDS
▶ Richard Jolly looks at the top six clubs in England and decides who makes the grade and who is in detention
Manchester City Best player
Bernardo Silva, and not merely because he got manager Pep Guardiola’s vote, even though 17-goal attacker Raheem Sterling was named Footballer of the Year.
Best PL game
The 2-1 win over Liverpool. Partly because it proved the most significant came in the title race and it was a compelling encounter. But the 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium will live long in the memory.
Biggest disappointment
Only one: the Champions League exit to Tottenham. Hard to find any other faults with a team who got 98 points and could complete a domestic Treble.
The manager
Guardiola had a solitary summer signing, in Riyad Mahrez, and was without Kevin de Bruyne for much of the season. He showed he can improve others players:
9/10
Mark Liverpool Best player
Virgil van Dijk was a colossus, and virtually flawless. Honourable mentions to Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gini Wijnaldum.
Best PL game
The 3-1 win over Manchester United. Not because it finished off Jose Mourinho, and while Liverpool needed Xherdan Shaqiri to come off the bench to win it, they had completely dominated the match with 36 shots at goal.
Biggest disappointment
Purely the reality that they did not win the league with a points tally that would have sufficed in 117 of the previous 120 seasons.
The manager
Jurgen Klopp’s shift in tactics probably helped Liverpool get 22 more points. His ability to generate remarkable performances was abuntantly clear in the rout of Barcelona.
Mark 9/10. Ten if they win the Uefa Champions League.
Chelsea Best player
Eden Hazard, by a coutnry mile, showing how Chelsea will miss him. Antonio Rudiger and Ruben Loftus-Cheek also impressed.
Best PL game
December’s 2-0 win over Manchester City. The first defeat the champions suf- fered as N’Golo Kante, striving manfully in his new, more attack-minded role, opened the scoring.
Biggest disappointment
The way an unbeaten start proved a false dawn. Or Gonzalo Higuain. Or Mateo Kovacic. Or the 4-0 thrashing at Bournemouth and the 6-0 battering to City.
The manager
Maurizio Sarri could yet end up with a trophy and a top-four finish while alienating the fanbase and failing to get the best from many of his players.
5/10
Mark Tottenham Hotspur Best player
Moussa Sissoko, in a development few Spurs fans could have predicted. Heung-Min Son, Harry Winks and Jan Vertonghen also excelled.
Best PL game
August’s 3-0 win away at Old Trafford. It wasn’t the first time Lucas Moura proved devastating in a key away game …
Biggest disappointment
Kieran Trippier endured a traumatic year after a terrific World Cup. Poor league results in the last three months can be forgiven.
The manager
Mauricio Pochettino. Starved of signings, the Argentine showed his resourcefulness to work wonders in England and, especially, in Europe.
Mark
8/10. Ten if they win the Champions League.
Arsenal Best player
Alexandre Lacazette. Strike partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored more, but Lacazette’s overall performance level just seals it.
Best PL game
The 4-2 win over Tottenham. A remarkable match of fluctuating fortunes and relentless drama, but with the kind of major scalp Arsenal claimed too rarely at the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
Biggest disappointment
That Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey is leaving. Or the defending, or the away form, or the way they squandered the chance of a top-four finish after a spirited revival.
The manager
Unai Emery had a 22-game unbeaten run and took Arsenal to the brink of the top four.