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Another eventful Premier League season came to an end yesterday with an absence of the usual last-minute fireworks, as almost all the questions that needed answering, the identity of the league's winners, European places, and relegation had already been known before Sunday's final round of games.
After an imperious season-long display, Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City team finally did the impossible and became the first team in a 38-game Premier League season to attain 100 points.
Burnley surprised everyone by finishing in 7th and getting a Europa League qualifying spot for next season and Swansea City, Stoke City, and West Bromwich Albion sleepwalked their way into relegation.
The attention of managers/chairmen of the clubs which will be playing in the league next season is already turned towards next season and how they can make their playing squads better/less bad with pundits already speculating that next season's spending by Premier League clubs may top the recording breaking one of the just concluded season which stood at £1.832b.
Some of the league's big guns have certain positions that will need to be reinforced before the 2018/2019 season rolls, here are 5 teams and the positions that need recalibration:
#5 Chelsea (Winger)
It goes without saying, but Chelsea has had a shocker of a season and will need to do quite a bit to get better next season.
In a season that has been pockmarked by off the field strife and on-pitch issues with manager Antonio Conte, a moaning, sad-looking presence pacing the touchline, few things have shown the weakness in the squad, as the lack of genuine wingers who could stretch opposing defences and help the team counter-attack better in the big games.
Eden Hazard and Willian are the only midfielders on the team that have shown creativity and pace this season, and even they themselves have been inconsistent. Pedro has been a shadow of himself from last season and has contributed little to the team this season.
The 3-4-3 which got the best out of Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses last season has been sussed out and whoever takes over as manager next season will need to look at getting in top young wingers who can do the job.
The recruitment team led by transfer tsarina Maria Granovskaia and whoever will be manager next season will need to follow the example of Manchester City by being prepared to meet the asking price for some of Europe & the world’s best young attacking talents.
Names like Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen) and Anthony Martial (Manchester United) have been linked to the Stamford Bridge club and they may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Also Read: The wing wizards who may be able to improve Chelsea
#4 Arsenal (Centre-back)
The lack of steel and discipline in the centre of defence at Arsenal has been a running joke for a while now since the Invincible team disintegrated.
Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Gabriel Paulista, Shkodran Mustafi and many other reasonably good defenders have come through the door at the Emirates Stadium in recent times, but there seems to be something in the water at North London as these defenders have been from above average to abysmal in their time at the club.
Outgoing managerial legend Arsene Wenger obviously takes a large share of the blame for the porous nature of the defence in the latter years of his 22-year reign but apart from tactics, the players themselves take a large part of the blame.
The name of the new man to take charge and reinvigorate the club after the last few insipid years of Wengerball is still unknown but whoever it is will have a huge task on their hand to fix up a central defence that has looked incompetent and all-at-sea for far too long
Already, chief scout Sven Mislintat is said to be scouring the market for quality centre-backs and names such as Turkish youngster Caglar Soyuncu from German side SC Freiburg have already been linked.
#3 Liverpool (Playmaker)
It looks a bit churlish to say that a team that has been scoring as many goals as Jurgen Klopp's men have this season may need to add a playmaker but a closer look at how certain games have gone give credence to this.
The Reds need a win from their last Premier League game against Brighton to secure UCL football for the 2nd straight season and are set to do battle with Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
The team has struggled with teams that do deep blocks and defend with two narrow banks of four each as the Fab Three of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane have found it difficult to do damage whenever the opposition sit deep and refuse to venture forward.
The current midfield is filled with hardworking and energetic midfielders (captain Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Georgino Wijnaldum amongst others), none of whom have been unable to produce the incisive passing and creativity of Phillipe Coutinho.
The absence of the Brazilian genius has been especially felt in games against teams that sit deep (the game against Manchester United a prime example) as the gegenpressing, high energy attacking style is easily nullified by opponents who choke the areas around the midfield and in front of the centre-backs.
Klopp and the board will need to fix this issue in the summer transfer window and while the high-energy play of Guinean midfielder Naby Keita will be added next season, a person who can pick passes and unlock tight defences will be needed.
Also Read: Potential replacements for Coutinho at Liverpool
#2 Manchester United (Fullbacks)
It is one of the greater ironies of football in Europe that a United side that has spent £600m on players since its legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013 is relying on converted wingers to man its full-back positions.
Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young have been manager Jose Mourinho's preferred full-bacs this season and while both have performed well, it has been a less than ideal position. Given that both men have had to compensate for their natural attacking instincts by being extra careful in defence, a situation that has curbed their attacking instincts and robbed the team of the width and extra attacking threat that fullbacks in the modern game usually offer.
The natural full-backs in the side: Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian, and Daley Blind have hardly gotten a look-in and on the occasions, they have been picked, they have been mediocre.
Faster, better upgrades versions will be needed with strong rumours already linking the side to players like Tottenham Hotspur's left-back Danny Rose, and Celtic's left-sided defender Kieran Tierney among others. Mourinho will have to take a leaf out of Pep Guardiola's playbook and do a clearout of his rather mediocre collection of fullbacks and start afresh.
Also Read: Top Registas Man United might target next season
#1 Manchester City (New Defensive Midfielder)
How do you improve something that is almost perfect? That must be the question bugging Pep Guardiola now as he contemplates how he wants his team to improve after a record-breaking season.
One area that is definitely in need of refurbishment is the defensive midfield position. The Brazilian international and sometime-captain Fernandinho has been near faultless this past season as his tackling, intercepting, intelligent shielding of the ball and passing have contributed greatly to the Cityzens' record-breaking season.
His stats for the season have been exceptional as he has won an average of 2.3 aerial duels per game as well as 1.8 tackles per game but the player will turn 34 next season and will need to be supported with a younger, fitter version who could do the donkey work of a defensive midfielder while being able to recycle possession and start attacks as Guardiola demands of his midfielders.
Various names such as Jorginho (SSC Napoli), Fred (Shakhtar Donetsk) among others have been mentioned and it is almost certain that the Blues will welcome a new midfielder to the Etihad Stadium next season.
Also Read: Rumoured defensive midfield targets for Manchester City
