NEIL MOXLEY What an amazing season, but the Oscar to ...
Follow us on Twitter: @peoplesport THE SUN will set this afternoon on the most unpredictable season since the Premier League started.
It isn’t just Leicester City’s heroics that have grabbed the imagination.
It’s also the fact that last year’s title winner Jose Mourinho was kicked out of a job before Christmas, Spurs mounted a long- overdue crack at landing the crown, Arsenal suffered more angst, while the arrival of Jurgen Klopp has set us up for Pep Guardiola’s grand entrance at the Etihad in three months’ time.
There have been stories aplenty. Here are my highlights. Behind the scenes Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City staff are still pinching themselves. They cannot believe it. Thanks to the bloody-minded determination of a group of cast-offs, the rest of the Premier League couldn’t do much about it. Jamie Vardy beating Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in 11 successive matches. That’s some going, considering the chances the Dutchman enjoyed at Old Trafford. Claudio Ranieri’s cool handling of the media, as the Fourth Estate worked themselves into a frenzy, was a lesson others would do well to follow. The Foxes’ players, Vardy apart, retained their composure too. Jurgen Klopp’s charisma has been a breath of fresh air. Liverpool ooze goals and menace. And have beaten some stiff opposition to be within 90 minutes of Europa League glory. Nice fella, Remi Garde, but ill-suited to the chaos at Aston Villa. That beats Newcastle’s decision to retain Steve McClaren for as long as they did. Rafael Benitez’s arrival at Newcastle after leaving Real Madrid – it was six weeks too late. Sam Allardyce realising that Jermain Defoe was his best chance of scoring the goals to keep Sunderland up. Defoe was on the bench more often than not during the early weeks of Allardyce’s reign but – and this is good management – Big Sam saw his error and made him the main man. Anthony Martial tormented Everton during the FA Cup semi-final and his pace from a standing start makes him a frightening prospect. Was Jonjo Shelvey the man needed to fire Newcastle United into life? No. However, Everton win it with the purchase of Oumar Niasse for £13million – dreadful business. It goes to Harry Kane – on the basis that this was the second season he has shouldered the goalscoring burden at White Hart Lane. Everton are two points higher than Bournemouth. Just not good enough. Not with that squad – complete with a goalscorer of Romelu Lukaku’s ilk. Raheem Sterling is in the mix. Perhaps I’m asking too much from someone who cost £49m and earns £ 150,000 a week. John Stones’ stock has plummeted like, well, a stone. But Eden Hazard’s fall from grace means he wins my vote again – for the wrong reasons. Justice for the 96. The Louis van Gaal/Jose Mourinho saga, closely followed by this week’s Upton Park overkill. Legendary Hammers figure Billy Bonds was asked to dig out some memories and came up with a 4-1 thrashing by Dinamo Tblisi. Says it all. “Working at Villa Park is like Beirut.” We knew it was bad.... Arsenal combust in the title race. Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere injured. Take your pick. Or even, Louis van Gaal rowing with the press. Dimitri Payet has magic feet, wonderful awareness and has to be in the shake-up. But N’Golo Kante pips Dele Alli. Close call but Sir Alex Ferguson picked t he midfielder as his player-of-the-season. Marcus Rashford. Strange to write it like this but Sergio Aguero made Manchester City look better than they are. “Where we you when we were s***?” Chelsea fans let rip at players in the first match postMourinho after the Blues race into a two-goal lead inside 10 minutes against Sunderland. Manchester City’s limp- wristed efforts against Real Madrid. All that time and money invested in the team and they didn’t give it a proper go. Diego Costa. A wind-up merchant par excellence. Joleon Lescott putting out a picture of a Mercedes supercar within a couple of hours of Aston Villa’s 6-0 home thrashing by Liverpool.
Arsene Wenger is left floundering by the fine early season form of several challengers and Arsenal’s board is forced to act. Leicester annoy everyone as their winning streak continues. Guardiola takes time to adjust and ... Jose returns. Schmeichel, Walker, Alderweireld, Morgan, Fuchs, Mahrez, Kante, Drinkwater, Martial, Vardy, Kane.