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Four Things We Learned From The 2024/25 Premier League Season
Blogs

Four Things We Learned From The 2024/25 Premier League Season

Four Things We Learned From The 2024/25 Premier League Season

The 2024/25 Premier League season was one like no other. The year of the underdogs. The invincible Manchester City being defeated at the summit of the table, with Liverpool rapidly rebuilding under Jürgen Klopp. Nottingham Forest went from recording one of the division’s lowest points hauls to finishing in a European spot while Bournemouth and Brentford also competed for Thursday night football.

On the other hand, the relegation battle may have been decided early, and its race might have been boring. However, who could’ve predicted that Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur would’ve finished in the league’s bottom five.

Looking back after a phenomenal season, here are four things that we learned.

Liverpool Are A New Force Under Arne Slot

2024 was a gigantic summer at Anfield. Following a tough season and losing their club cornerstone Jurgen Klopp, the Reds faced a huge summer, needing to replace the German. Their choice was Dutch manager, Arne Slot.

A former AZ and Feyenoord boss, Slot employed a similar style to the former German, operating in a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, unlike Klopp, Slot’s style is built and relies upon possession-based football, with the Reds playing in a more calculated and technical approach.

Slot was not quite the big-name appointment that Liverpool could’ve made, and Federico Chiesa was the summer addition at Anfield this summer. But Slot was an instant hit in Merseyside, winning his first three consecutive games. After a loss against Forest at the start of September, Slot’s side would go unbeaten from the rest of September to April in the Premier League – going on a fantastic run that saw them run away at the top of the table.

The Dutchman’s side ended the season, winning three straight games following their defeat against Fulham to clinch the English title. Within their first season under Slot, Liverpool were truly brilliant, becoming a dominant force and overthrowing Manchester City.

During his first season as boss, Slot also finally re-captured the form of key players such as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – the Egyptian recording 29 goals and 18 assists in the league. The final major success of the season for Slot was the breakout season of Ryan Gravenberch, a player who had formerly shown great promise but under his Dutch boss, has become one of Europe’s top midfielders.

The Gap Is Widening Between The Top-Flight And Championship

Money. A tool in football that both causes growth and problems – widening the gap between clubs at the top and bottom of the pyramid. Sadly, that issue could not be bigger than in the Premier League as the gap between the teams at the bottom and those who are promoted widens.

With the team that finished in 17th in the previous season, Nottingham Forest, competing for European football this season and strengthening their already multi-million-pound squad. The three teams promoted were always going to have to hugely spend. Leicester, Southampton, and Ipswich Town coming up, with both the Saints and Foxes having previously operated in the top flight, a season before with similar squads.

In the summer, Southampton added to their squad, signing players such as Yukinari Sugawara and Cameron Archer, with Aaron Ramsdale and Mateus Fernandes being the standouts. On the other hand, Leicester called in their reinforcements by adding Bilal El Khannous, Oliver Skipp, Facundo Buonanotte, and more.

But the team that extensively strengthened in the summer was the Tractor Boys – Ipswich spending a near £100m on new players. Kieran McKenna brought in Liam Delap, Sammie Szmodics, and Omari Hutchinson as the club’s notable additions, but it was always going to be challenging for a team that had previously played in League One.

Despite all of the spending, the three sides would be relegated in their first seasons in the Premier League, with the three teams struggling to make an impact or challenge the teams in the top flight. Southampton went down as one of the Premier League’s worst-ever sides with 12 points, while Ipswich and Leicester were unable to pass 25 points.

Success Of The Mid-Table Teams

One of the biggest success stories of the Premier League in recent years has been Brighton & Hove Albion. A team that typically operated in the country’s lower leagues in recent memory, but after being promoted back to the big time, established themselves as one of the league’s best teams.

Now known as the ‘Brighton blueprint’, teams have adopted the policy of signing young players, who develop and then selling them to the top teams for high fees to further strengthen their transfer kitty and squad.

A key example of this is AFC Bournemouth, a team that in the Premier League have typically operated in the lower half of the Premier League table. However, under the ownership of Bill Foley, the Cherries are on an upward tragedy. Players such as Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen have come through the door, joining for low fees, then turning into some of the league’s top talent. Antoine Semenyo and Illia Zabarnyi also follow that same mould as the Cherries have quickly turned into a powerful side in the Premier League.

Finishing 9th in the table, Andoni Iraola’s side were the giant-killer – defeating Arsenal, City, and Newcastle last season. But with the age of their top talents, the future is even brighter for Bournemouth, with players either going to become better or be sold for a large sum.

Brentford are another team that follow the model, as they have quickly created one of the league’s best forward lines. Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, and Kevin Schade were all brought to the club for relatively low fees and a factor of unknown, but since the Bees have been excellent. The trio combined to score 40 goals for the London club, with Mbeumo scoring 20 goals and assisting seven as Brentford finished in 10th. Similar to Bournemouth, the future of Brentford is incredibly bright as players will either be sold or continue to progress.

Erling Haaland: The Second-Best Striker In The Premier League

Since moving to the division, Erling Haaland has been a dominant force in the Premier League – breaking scoring records. In that time, City have been a powerhouse, winning the English title. However, this season, the Citizens struggled, with the Norwegian striker not quite looking like the former unstoppable forward of old.

With over 80 goals scored in his first two campaigns, Haaland was a brute in Pep Guardiola’s attack - his pace, strength, power, and aerial ability too much for Premier League defenders. But in this season, Haaland heavily struggled due to his all-around game, often being isolated in games and being targeted for his weakened ability on the ball.

But with Haaland’s poor form has come the emergence of a new elite striker in the English top flight. Newcastle’s Alexander Isak ripped teams apart in the Premier League last season, scoring 23 goals in 34 appearances. The Swede has it all – pace and height but also top-class dribbling ability that allows him to create his own chances.

Coming in second place in the golden boot race, Isak scored one more goal than his Norwegian counterpart, and while, Haaland might typically be the more clinical striker – Isak offers a much more well-polished playstyle. It will be interesting to see in the future whether the Swede can continue his form and if Haaland will truly become the league’s second-best striker.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Josh Wyatt-Jones

Content Writer

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