Premier League Picks Of The Week 4

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 4

The 4th week of the Premier League action saw:

28 goals - most by Manchester City = 5
237 shots - most by Crystal Palace = 23
87 on target - most by Manchester City = 10
118 corners - most by Crystal Palace = 13
212 fouls - most by Newcastle = 15
22 bookings - most by Everton & Newcastle = 3 each
1 red card - Sadio Mané for Liverpool
1 penalty - 1 scored (Jamie Vardy for Leicester)

What a game! Crucial/cruel results: Both Super Sunday games had the least goals, but hell they weren't missing chances nor action! Newcastle recorded their first win 0:1 at Swansea to Rafael Benitez's relief recovering in hospital from an operation, whilst Chris Wood made it two goals in two games for Burnley as they beat struggling Crystal Palace 1:0 at home, more to that below. West Ham recorded their first win of the season on Monday night, beating Huddersfield 2-0 at the London Stadium. Their first defeat brought the high-flying Terriers back down to earth, even-though it took a cruel deflection off Pedro Obiang to break the stubborn deadlock and concede their first goal since promotion to the top flight. It was a nice birthday present for Hammers boss Slaven Bilić, who would have been under even more scrutiny and fire, having lost all three opening games conceding 10 goals, making him odds-on one of the faves to be sacked first. It was Joe Hart's first league clean sheet in 23 games. The lead soon was doubled thanks to substitute André Ayew turning the ball in from close range, icing on the manager's birthday cake to bag the first three points this season. 🎂👌🏻😊👍🏻🎂

What a team! Brighton secured their first ever Premier League goals and win in style, high-firing 3-1 at home against West Brom, their first top-flight victory for 34 years, thanks to two goals by Pascal Groß. Crystal Palace on the other hand suffered their fourth defeat in a row, as mentioned above. They went down fighting though, 1-0 at Burnley, recording 23 attempts! The last top-flight team to lose their opening four matches without scoring were Preston North End in 1924-25. And as ridiculous as it is, it was no surprise to then get the news of Frank de Boer's exit after just 77 days. Sad but true. There is no such thing as patience in football nowadays. They obviously didn't watch the match! The team fought and played well. Just one (very costly) error early on by Lee Chung-yong decided the match in the end... But they will say it is the results that count. Former England and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is set to take over the job at Selhurst Park. And oh, we all love him, don't we! 💩🙈💩🙈💩 Meanwhile, much in contrast to that, Watford have no such worries, going from strength to strength, up to fourth in the Premier League table after their impressive display, cracking goals and 0-2 win at Southampton. 👌🏻⚽️👏🏻⚽️👍🏻

What a man! And José Mourinho was at it again, distracting from his side's disappointing draw with his childish sideline and interview antiques. It was all about the post-match handshake-refusal after a tense draw and clashes with counterpart Mark Hughes as Stoke fought out a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the Bet365 stadium. Man of the match Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's double for the Potters put an end to the Red Devils' 100% start to the season. And deservedly so! Their keeper Jack Butland starred with brilliant stops and breathtaking saves, whilst the whole back line kept stubborn and solid too, tackle after tackle, challenge after challenge, block after block, chance after chance. Impressive. No matter what the Portuguese boss says. ⚽️👊🏻👏🏻👍🏻⚽️

What a goal! Harry Kane's 100th Tottenham goal was more oops than woo, but they all count. It looked like an attempted cross from the right but looped over home keeper Jordan Pickford and in. Christian Eriksen doubled the score and Kane added his 101st to make it 0-3 and an easy away win for Spurs at Goodison Park. It could have been 0-6. For all the money they spent and players they signed, Everton are still cracking and crumbling. Worrying. Not a good day for either Merseysiders, see below for more details. N'Golo Kanté scored against his former side Leicester handing Chelsea an edgy away win. Wood scored on his full debut for Burnley thanks to Chung-yong's back-pass giveaway, as mentioned above, handing the Clarets the 1-0 win and heartbreak for the Eagles. Cruel, cruel, cruel. Bournemouth were downed to their fourth consecutive defeat as well, well beaten 3-0 at Arsenal thanks to Danny Welbeck's double. Can't see anyone calling for Eddie Howe's head though! Not even mentioning good old Arséne Wenger. They love him. Really. Right?! 😝😜😘😜😝

What the hell?! The red card at the Etihad divided opinions, both managers Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola mouthing their disapproval in their post-match interviews. WTF? It was a high, dangerous boot by Sadio Mané taking out keeper Edison Moraes. In. The. Face. By the book that is red, full stop. And it doesn't excuse such a pathetic performance. Liverpool got absolutely hammered 5-0 by Manchester City. The defence was non-existent! It ended up being a fun kick-about for the home side. Having their main striker sent off may explain why they didn't score. But too absolutely fold, collapse, give up, dramatically, completely, uncharacteristically as the Reds did - explain me that! Here is my full LFC match report. Rant over and out. ⚽️👊🏻🙈👎🏻⚽️

My Predictions - Actual Results
Man City 2:2 Liverpool - 5:0 or my full LFC match report
Arsenal 2:1 Bournemouth - 3:0
Brighton 1:1 West Brom - 3:1
Everton 2:2 Tottenham - 0:3
Leicester 2:2 Chelsea - 1:2
Southampton 2:1 Watford - 0:2
Stoke 1:2 Man United - 2:2
Burnley 3:3 Crystal Palace - 1:0
Swansea 1:1 Newcastle - 0:1
West Ham 0:0 Huddersfield - 2:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pics, stats and facts were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, SFR and Twitter coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 38

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 38

The 38th and final week of the Premier League action saw:

283 shots - most by Chelsea = 28
37 goals - most by Tottenham = 7
222 fouls - most by Man United = 16
30 bookings - most by Everton & Leicester & Stoke = 4 each
1 red card - Koscielny for Arsenal
1 penalty - 1 scored (Lukaku for Everton)

What a game! The top and drops of the Premier League were already confirmed over the last couple of weeks, so, the only thing left to play for was the Champions League qualification. Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal were in the mix, the London side needing a win and one of the other sides to slip up to be able to clinch a top four spot. It was not to be. Quite the opposite. Despite beating Everton 3-1 at the Emirates, Laurent Koscielny's reckless challenge saw him sent off and suspended, plus injury to defender Gabriel Paulista didn't make the Gunners' chances any better for the FA Cup final either... Merde!

What a team! Chelsea won and celebrated in style, but Tottenham stunned everyone just that bit more thrashing Hull City 1-7! 13 goals in the last two games, 15 in the last three! How did they not win anything this season?! Best goals total scored and conceded, best points total in years, they have missed out big time! Will they be able to top that next season??? In absolute contrast to that, total flops were Everton and Watford, why bother turning up if you don't really play?! Both sides were felled easily and taken apart by Arsenal and Manchester City respectively. Refund the fans!!!

What a man! Departing Chelsea skipper John Terry may have been the most celebrated player of the day (and absolutely lambasted for the substitution antiques on BBC TV and radio coverage), but Spurs striker Harry Kane is definitely the best of the season, three goals against Hull City and seven in the last two outings taking his season total to 29 in just 30 games, including four hat-tricks! The Golden Boot well deserved! The Golden Glove has gone to the champions' keeper Thibaut Courtois with 16 clean sheets.

What a goal! Georginio Wijnaldum's opener for Liverpool relieved everyone at Anfield just before the break after the Reds had made it look oh so difficult against relegated Middlesbrough. Philippe Coutinho added a sweet free kick and Adam Lallana sealed the deal with a pass into goal after a fine team break away, buildup and effort. Aaron Ramsey's high curling beauty into the top corner to make it 3-1 to Arsenal was worth nothing in the end. The question now is, will there be any changes at the realm of the London side???

What the hell?! José Mourinho once again took all the attention - this time by saying nothing, in a non-existent post-match press conference at Old Trafford after his side's 2-0 win against Palace! What a farce! Even Arséne Wenger was up to chat (ish) after his worst season at Arsenal! Isn't it part of their job description?! I mean, how much money the media pump into the game and then to get that kind of response, just avoiding them and blanking them out, that's just blatant ignorance and arrogance?!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Arsenal 2:1 Everton - 3:1
Burnley 1:1 West Ham - 1:2
Chelsea 6:1 Sunderland - 5:1
Hull City 1:4 Tottenham - 1:7
Leicester 2:0 Bournemouth - 1:1
Liverpool 2:1 Middlesbrough - 3:0
Man United 1:0 Crystal Palace - 2:0
Southampton 1:1 Stoke City - 0:1
Swansea 1:0 West Brom - 2:1
Watford 1:2 Man City - 0:5

Games In Hand Played Before The Weekend:
Chelsea 1:1 Watford - 4:3
Arsenal 4:1 Sunderland - 2:0
Man City 3:0 West Brom - 3:1
Southampton 1:2 Man United - 0:0
Leicester 1:1 Tottenham - 1:6

20 goals in only 5 games! Wow! 168 shots, 36 of which fell to the Gunners alone, most in a Premier League game since 2003! Double wow! 99 fouls, 22 bookings (6 to Watford alone, triple wow!), Sebastian Prödl sent off for Watford and 1 penalty saved by United's Sergio Romero denying Saint Manolo Gabbiadini. And someone said the Premier League was boring?!

Click here to read my previous Premier League Picks Of The Week.

Pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports, Radio Five Live coverage and MOTD.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 9

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 9

The 9th week of the Premier League action saw:

174 shots - most by Liverpool and Crystal Palace = 14 each - least so far (227, week 7)

19 goals - most by Chelsea = 4 - least so fat (20, week 7)

238 fouls - most by Man United = 17

39 bookings - most by Sunderland = 5

No red cards not penalties first time this season - but there should have been at least one, see below... => What the hell?!

This week has seen the least number of shots and goals so far this season (after week 7 which saw 227 shots and 20 goals).

Stamford Bridge made sure they were heard - "You're not special anymore!" adding salt to United's wounds.

And José Mourinho did take it personally and let Antonio Conte know how he felt. Very sour grapes indeed.

What a game! Chelsea's 4-0 thrashing of United not only showed how far Chelsea have come since Conte's takeover and Mourinho's departure, but also how far United have fallen since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement and the Portuguese's tenure. The Blues broke down the Red bus in the first minute - 30 seconds to be exact - thanks to Pedro and took over total control from there, riding high and all over United. The Red Devils were all over the place, missing organisation and stability, skipper Wayne Rooney being absent due to injury (apparently/allegedly, although rumour has it, Mourinho wants the Scouser out). Gary Cahill smashed one in from close range, Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante completed the rout with all the space and time in the world, United's non-existent back line and keeper David de Gea just watching. This dire defeat keeps United on 14 points, which means even much-demonised LVG had recorded more points after nine games at this stage last season (= 19) and only in 2014/15 under David Moyes had they recorded less (= 13).

What a team! It was not pretty, but Burnley did it again! The Clarets recorded another strong home win, making teams dread more and more to come and play at Turf Moor. With only 34% possession, Sean Dyche's men were less dominant, but more and better organised defensively with some old-school blocks at the back and reliable challenges in the middle. Criticised as "ugly" and "dirty work", it still ended up being rewarding = three points in the bag, hard-earned and well deserved. Ask high-flying Liverpool how it is to play here...!!!

What a man! Pep Guardiola's change did the job, after seeing John Stones gifting Southampton the opener after 27 minutes, Nathan Redmond taking advantage of the giveaway. Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho equalised in the second half, nine minutes after coming on, making it eight goals in his last 11 Premier League games for Man City. But still, the Saints ended up grabbing a point at the Etihad, taking the Sky Blues' winless run to five games. They have certainly lost their way after ten straight wins and everyone had already crowned them champions a bit prematurely. I'm sure the former Barca man does not have to worry too much with his side still top of the table on goal difference. However, he did have his say after the disappointing draw, keeping his side locked in and listening, the media and press calling it an "angry 50-minute inquest". What would be a better way of coming back on track than beating bitter rivals United in the EFL Cup midweek.

 

What a goal! Hull's misery continues thanks to a brilliant strike by Stoke's Xherdan Shaqiri, from nearly 25 yards, it was an unstoppable stunner, leaving keeper David Marshall hopelessly beaten. And a lovely curling free-living from 20 yards made it 0-2, handing the Potters a crucial win and a deserved man of the match award for the Swiss star.
Winston Reid left it very late and controversial for West Ham, scoring in the 90th minute to record the Hammers' first home win at the Olympic Stadium since August...

What the hell?!...  But Moyes was not happy that goal counted and is looking at facing charges after a tunnel bust-up with referee Bobby Madley. Replays did show at least two West Ham players did look offside. Desperate times for Sunderland, stuck at the bottom of the table, luck is definitely not going their way...
Much in contrast to Moussa Sissoko, what were you thinking?! How the officials did not spot the big fat elbow beats me! Bournemouth's Harry Arter accepted the Spurs sub's apology and said all was forgiven, but the three-match ban he has received in the meantime is appropriate to say the least!

My Predictions - Actual Results
Bournemouth 2:4 Tottenham - 0:0
Arsenal 2:1 Middlesbrough - 0:0
Burnley 1:2 Everton - 2:1
Hull City 0:0 Stoke - 0:2
Leicester 1:0 Crystal Palace - 3:1
Swansea 0:0 Watford - 0:0
West Ham 2:0 Sunderland - 1:0
Liverpool 4:2 West Brom - 2:1
Man City 3:1 Southampton - 1:1
Chelsea 0:0 Man United - 4:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

All pictures taken from the BBC match reports

Premier League Picks Of The Week 3

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 3

The third week of the Premier League saw:

270 Shots - most by Man United = 29 

22 Goals - most by Arsenal & Chelsea = 3 each

227 Fouls - most by Watford = 18

46 Bookings - most by Watford = 6

0 Reds Cards

6 Penalties - 3 scored, 3 missed

ByTheMinute coverage at its best, even when the match has not got much to write about...

And the ByTheMinute team are also keeping track of all the transfer gossip and news, deadline day tomorrow!

First international break with Big Sam, here is who the new England boss picked and what he had to say.

What a game! The goalless game between West Brom and Middlesbrough did not have much to watch, report or cheer about. I feel with the fans, who should receive a refund for the ordeal. The fans reacted accordingly, calling for Tony Pulis' head. The pressure is already on, just three games into the season, after the side have only recorded one win in the last 13 games and averaging less than a goal a game since Pulis took over in January 2015. Dire.

What a team! Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United form a quite familiar top three, the only sides left with a 100% winning record in the Premier League after three games. Is this how the season will finish, I hear and read many ask. Wait out! Three new managers, 35 games to go... I think it is very premature to crown the champions already!

What a man(ager)! As mentioned above, the top three unbeaten teams, their three new managers, none other than Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte, are untouchable and you cannot get away from them. It seems like none of them can do anything wrong at the moment and could not have asked for a better start to the season. Or could they? Guardiola has been the most honest and realistic, seeing and pointing out where his side is lacking and needs improving... Early days!

What a goal! Star striker Jamie Vardy finally kicked off his season for defending champions Leicester (in case you needed reminding who the actual champions are at the moment after all the hu ha and bla bla about the current top three). And it was a fine finish off Danny Drinkwater's pass, a delicious goal we were used to be fed on a regular basis last season. And surprise surprise, long lost Raheem Sterling also shone with two goals for City. Reborn? Or just an exception? We will see.

What the hell?! Again, the referees are under fire. This time they missed Sergio Agüero's blatant elbow into West Ham defender Winston Reid's throat. I hope and think a ban will take him out of the Manc derby on the 10th September. On the other hand, Arthur Masuaku got away with a late tackle on John Stones when he was already cautioned, so could and should have been sent off, too. So, both sides got away with it, hence you could say justice was evened out. But I wish the referees could use replays, as it is ridiculous to see what players get cautioned for in contrast to what they then get away with! I've ranted enough about that plenty of times, so, to quote a Hammer friend of mine...

"Do referees have a Premier League directive in not sending off the top team's best players? Two weeks ago it was Costa and a blatant hack on Adrian, today its Aguero and a clear elbow in the throat of Reid...if the officials are not seeing these incidents then they are not doing their job, and if the officials are seeing these and taking no action, then they are not just incompetent, but corrupt...no complaints about the result, got beaten by the superior team (just), but something's rotten in the state of Denmark, and its called the FA..."

My predictions - Actual results

Tottenham 2:1 Liverpool - 1:1 - click here for my match report and here for my bythemin coverage
Chelsea 2:1 Burnley - 3:0
Crystal Palace 0:0 Bournemouth - 1:1
Everton 1:0 Stoke - 1:0
Leicester 2:1 Swansea - 2:1
Southampton 4:1 Sunderland - 1:1
Watford 1:2 Arsenal - 1:3
Hull City 2:3 Man United - 0:1
West Brom 1:1 Middlesbrough - 0:0
Man City 2:2 West Ham - 3:1

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks

Pictures taken from Bing search, BBC match reports & another Bing search

Premier League 2014/15 Season Review

Sports - Football - Premier League - 2014/15 Review

Well, that's another season done and dusted. 13,746,753 fans attended 380 games around the 20 Premier League grounds. They saw 975 goals scored (2.57 per match), 10 hat-tricks, 1,360 yellow cards (3.58 per match), 73 red cards (one every 5.2 matches) and 9 managerial changes. For more details on the season just gone, click here.
On a personal stats note, it's been a first, in 15 seasons (!), my father and me were all square in predictions, honours even at 172-172 (not quite half the games, but not bad)!
Here's my review of the season, looking at the stats and facts, winners and losers, and what has changed (or not really).

Champions: Chelsea (4th Premier League title, 5th English title).
Champions League: Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, Man United.
Europa League: Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham.
Relegated: Hull City, Burnley, QPR.
Promoted from Championship: Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich.

Top Scorer: Sergio Agüero (Man City, 26 goals)
Top Keeper: Joe Hart (Man City, 14 clean sheets)

Biggest home win: Southampton 8-0 Sunderland
Biggest away win: Swansea 0-5 Chelsea
Highest scoring: Everton 3-6 Chelsea
Longest winning run: 8 games, Arsenal
Longest unbeaten run: 16 games, Chelsea
Longest winless run: 13 games, Leicester
Longest losing run: 8 games, Newcastle

Most yellow cards: 94, Sunderland
Most red cards: 7, Aston Villa and Newcastle

Premier League Manager of the Season: José Mourinho, Chelsea
Premier League Player of the Season: Eden Hazard, Chelsea
PFA Player of the Year: Eden Hazard, Chelsea
PFA Young Player of the Year: Harry Kane, Tottenham
PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea (MUFC); John Terry (CFC), Gary Cahill (CFC), Branislav Ivanovic (CFC), Ryan Bertrand (SFC); Alexis Sánchez (AFC), Nemanja Matic (CFC), Philippe Coutinho (LFC), Eden Hazard (CFC); Diego Costa (CFC), Harry Kane (THFC).

Main Gainers: compared to last season 2013-14.
Swansea and West Brom: 14 and 8 points and 4 places better off respectively.
Garry Monk has worked wonders at The Swans. After Michael Laudrup's sacking in February 2014 after winning the Welsh side's first major piece of silverware with the League Cup and achieving a record finish in 9th position in 2013, the shoes were hard to fill. And of course following Wilfried Bony's record departure to Manchester City in this year's January transfer window, everyone was even more sceptic and expected the worst for Huw Jenkins' side. But the surprise appointment of then Swansea defender Monk has come up all trumps, his side finishing the season on a record high of 8th place on 56 points, playing entertaining football, knowing his squad well, great tactics, always good to watch.
The Baggies started 2015 further down the dumps, sacking Alan Irvine on the 29th December 2014, after losing 2-0 at Stoke made it 7 defeats in 9 games, only 4 wins in 19 matches, leaving them down in 16th place on 17 points out of 19 games. New Year's Day saw the appointment of Tony Pulis, the former Stoke and Crystal Palace manager, who is well known for his expertise in great escapes. And he did so again. His intentions were well presented in his first match in charge, a 7-0 win against Conference Premier side Gateshead in an FA Cup third round match, landmark win at Manchester United, and embarrassing champions Chelsea. Pulis' men finished the season strong, losing only once in the last six games, taking them up to 12th on 44 points.

Strongest Runs: Last 6 games
Man City: WWWWWW = 18 out of 18 points.
Too little, too late for The Sky Blues. Manager Manuel Pellegrini is under pressure after handing over the Premier League trophy to Chelsea with a big 8-point gap and ending the season trophyless.
Leicester: WLWWDW = 13 out of 18 points.
Great turnaround by the Foxes. Bottom at Christmas and after making all the wrong distracting headlines in February, Nigel Pearson's side just lost once in the whole of April, earning himself his first Premier League Manager of the Month award, and confirming his side's Premier League status by mid-May, with surprising comfort.
West Brom: WDWDWL = 11 out of 18 points.
As mentioned above, Tony Pulis has done a great job at The Hawthorns, showing that changes in management halfway through the season are not always bad news, wrong headlines or just naughty rumours, as they were for Leicester, but a great escape, heroic saviour or strong comeback instead.  
Chelsea: DWWDLW = 11 out of 18 points.
As mentioned above, City's late run meant nothing as Chelsea had already sealed the deal beginning of May with their 1-0 win against Crystal Palace. José Mourinho once again showed why Roman Abramovich brought him back to Stamford Bridge despite all rumoured spats and conflicts, and how you can win, even if it doesn't look so pretty.

Main Losers: compared to last season 2013-14.
Everton and Liverpool: 25 and 22 points, 6 and 4 places worse off respectively.
Neither the blue nor the red side of the Mersey have had much to cheer about this season.
After replacing David Moyes and finishing his first season in 5th on 72 points, the Toffees highest return since the Premier League inception, compliments and expectations were high for Roberto Martinez. Record breaking signings Romelu Lukaku, Christian Atsu and Samuel Eto'o fed those hungers and hopes, but it all soon crumbled to bits. The Spaniard looked overloaded, seeing his side being lambasted as passive and well beaten too often, finishing in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 2005-06.
The Reds meanwhile have seen it all this season, their skipper Steven Gerrard's last season for the club started weakly, before a strong boom, followed by another collapse of form. His sending off within 38 seconds in their 1-2 defeat against bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield in March and conceding nine goals in their last two league games of the season, 6 at Stoke and 3 at home against Crystal Palace, both defeats; these are just the tip of a very miserable iceberg for Brendan Rodgers' men. The Northern-Irishman is under immense pressure and fire from all sides after the runners up of last season ended up in the 6th position on 62 points and their main players are either confirmed or rumoured to leave. The Rumour mill is running wild, spitting out Jürgen Klopp as the odds-on favourite replacement.

Weakest Runs: Last 6 games
QPR: LDLLWL = 4 out of 18 points in last 6 games.
A season to forget before and after Harry Redknapp's departure. Whether it was for health reasons as he said, or he knew what was coming, the former Spurs boss left a sinking ship, that's for sure. No good and not much better for of from new manager Chris Ramsey, who will need a lot to rebuild.
Newcastle: LLLDLW = 4 out of 18 points in last 6 games.
Turmoil as always, but still surviving, somehow. After Alan Pardew's departure to Crystal Palace following his Premier League Manager of the Month award in December, things went downhill, former player and regular caretaker John Carver not holding back his anger watching his side complete the longest losing streak of the season.
West Ham: LDWLLL = 4 out of 18 points in last 6 games.
Shocker for Sam Allerdyce. After starting the season full of promise and great results, the second half of the season overshadowed it all, leaving the Hammers dangling in 12th, with not much promise or progress, and now managerless.
Southampton: LDLLWL = 4 out of 18 points in last 6 games.
The season started too good to be true, their blast was too strong to last and hold through, it had to drop and fall at some point. Still, full respect and praise to manager Ronald Koeman, for producing such a strong side and high finish despite all the high-profile departures of former manager Mauricio Pochettino and a list of top players.

Other Notable Changes (or not really):
Sunderland and Aston Villa: 0 points but 2 places worse off.
Dick Advocaat's tears said it all after leading the Black Cats to safety with a 0-0 draw at the Emirates. Reacting like that after just a couple of months in the job shows how tough it is to survive in the Premier League. That drew secured Sunderland's ninth straight top flight season. It was not the first time they struggled though, and it surely won't be the last.
After a record-low of just 12 goals in 25 games, it was no surprise to see Paul Lambert sacked at Villa Park in February, trembling around and in the relegation zone. New boss Tim Sherwood kept the Villans safe from the drop. Just. One can't imagine the Premier League without them, full stop. But the former Spurs manager's positive attitude seemed to have revived the side, guiding them to the FA Cup final against Arsenal.
Arsenal and Manchester United: 4 points worse and 6 points better, 1 and 3 places better respectively.
Same old. Arsène Wenger has done it again. Top four finish. What crises? After a shambles start to the season, with the all too familiar short list of signings and long injury list, the Gunners turned the season around, including notable wins at Manchester City in the Premier League and Manchester United in the FA Cup, finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League group stages for the 18th season in a row.
Meanwhile, is Louis van Gaal really so much better than Moyes? The Red Devils are 6 points and 3 places better off than last season, yes, but not much from what they have shown on the pitch. Expensive and high-profile disappointments like Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao did not produce much, most games and points were saved and recorded thanks to keeper de Gea, more than anything else! Rumour has been surrounding his exit from Old Trafford for a while now, which surely LVG will give his all to avoid and stop from happening.

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Here's the full list of all the Premier League teams, in alphabetical order, listing the positions and points totals they finished on the last couple of seasons and what I predicted and how they actually ended this season. I was spot on with some (closer to the top), more far off with others (further down the table). Happy read and looking forward to next season! XxXxX #YNWA

Arsenal:
2012-13: 4th on 73 points.
2013-14: 4th on 79 points.
2014-15: predicted 4th, ended 3rd on 75 points.

Aston Villa:
2012-13: 15th on 41 points.
2013-14: 15th on 38 points.
2014-15: predicted 15th, ended 17th on 38 points.

Burnley:
2012-13: Championship.
2013.14: Championship.
2014-15: predicted 19th, ended 19th on 33 points.

Chelsea: 
2012-13: 3rd on 75 points.
2013-14: 3rd on 82 points.
2014:15: predicted 1st, ended 1st on 87 points.

Crystal Palace:
2012-13: Championship.
2013-14: 11th on 45 points.
2014-15: predicted 14th, ended 10th on 48 points.

Everton:
2012-13: 6th on 63 points.
2013-14: 5th on 72 points.
2014-15: predicted 9th, ended 11th on 47 points.

Hull City:
2012-13: Championship.
2013-14: 16th on 37 points.
2014-15: predicted 16th, ended 18th on 35 points.

Leicester:
2012-13: Championship.
2013-14: Championship.
2014-15: predicted 20th, ended 14th on 41 points.

Liverpool:
2012-13: 7th on 61 points.
2013-14: 2nd on 84 points.
2014-15: predicted 6th, ended 6th on 62 points.

Manchester City: 
2012-13: 2nd on 78 points.
2013-14: 1st on 86 points.
2014-15: predicted 2nd, ended 2nd on 79 points.

Manchester United:
2012-13: 1st on 89 points.
2013-14: 7th on 64 points.
2014-15: predicted 3rd, ended 4th on 70 points.

Newcastle:
2012-13: 16th on 41 points.
2013-14: 10th on 49 points.
2014-15: predicted 12th, ended 15th on 39 points.

QPR:
2012-13: 20th on 25 points.
2013-14: Championship,
2014-15: predicted 13th, ended 20th on 30 points.

Southampton:
2012-13: 14th on 41 points.
2013-14: 8th on 56 points.
2014-15: predicted 5th, ended 7th on 60 points.

Stoke City:
2012-13: 13th on 42 points.
2013-14: 9th on 50 points.
2014-15: predicted 10th, ended 9th on 54 points.

Sunderland:
2012-13: 17th on 39 points.
2013-14: 14th on 38 points.
2014-15: predicted 17th, ended 16th on 38 points.

Swansea:
2012-13: 9th on 46 points.
2013-14: 12th on 42 points.
2014-15: predicted 11th, ended 8th on 56 points.

Tottenham:
2012-13: 5th on 72 points.
2013-14: 6th on 69 points.
2014-15: predicted 8th, ended 5th on 64 points.

West Brom: 
2012-13: 8th on 49 points.
2013-14: 17th on 36 points.
2014-15: predicted 18th, ended 13th on 44 points.

West Ham:
2012-13: 10th on 46 points.
2013-14: 13th on 49 points.
2014-15: predicted 7th, ended 12th on 47 points.