In Part Three of this series, we look at more Premier League teams to see if they failed or met expectations in the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.
Leeds United (17th place)
Leeds were almost hit with second-season syndrome this campaign as they struggled massively. To be fair to them, most of their poor results were due to the fact that they had multiple players with injuries and Covid and were still forced to play certain games (unlike a certain North London side). However, player performances were at an all-time low, most likely due to the recent euro campaign, and perhaps overconfidence from their first season. It seemed like every part of the Lilywhites system was falling apart, from attack to defense. They conceded 25 more goals than the previous season, and scored 20 less, clearly indicating a problem on the pitch. To make matters worse, Marcelo Bielsa left the club in February, leaving the club two places off relegation. Former RB Leipzig manager Jesse Marsch took the reigns at Elland Road from that point and narrowly guided the club to safety with a final day win over Brentford.
BEST PLAYER: Raphina
WORST PLAYER: Pascal Strujik
BEST SIGNING: Daniel James
BEST RESULT: Leeds United 3 def. West Ham United 2
WORST RESULT: Manchester City 7 def. Leeds United 0
GRADE: D
Leicester City (8th place)
The Foxes definitely had an up and down season but the final result of a place outside a European competition qualification is disappointing for Brendan Rodgers and his squad. The Midlands club did manage to make a turnaround in the second half of the season, where they climbed up to 8th when they looked like they would be finishing in the bottom half. They also managed to make it to the European Conference League Semi-Finals only narrowly losing to Jose Mourinho’s Roma. While there were obviously players who had disappointing seasons in an unsatisfactory campaign for the club, there were players who stood out and attempted to make the difference for the Foxes, such as Harvey Barnes, Youri Tielemans, and new signing Patson Daka. Jamie Vardy was also a player who was consistent for the Midlands club, despite being older than Manchester City. Overall it was an impressive second half of the season for Leicester who normally collapse in that area, but their first half was unfortunately not up to their usual standard.
BEST PLAYER: Youri Tielemans
WORST PLAYER: Caglar Soyuncu
BEST SIGNING: Patson Daka
BEST RESULT: Leicester City 1 def. Liverpool 0
WORST RESULT: Everton 2 def. Leicester 1
GRADE: C
Liverpool (2nd place)
Liverpool once again showed why they are one of the best teams in both England and Europe right now. Despite their lack of squad depth compared to their title rivals Manchester City, they went toe to toe with them for the entire season, and never lost to the Manchester sides. Despite not losing a single game against any of the top six sides, The Reds dropped too many points against sides they should have beaten, including a loss to West Ham and a draw to Brentford. Their usual star players had key performances for them this year including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and Allison. There were also some players who surprised the Red faithful through an improved campaign such as the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota. Liverpool once again had one of the best seasons in their history, but a lack of consistency and results held them back from winning the Premier League title.
BEST PLAYER: Sadio Mane
WORST PLAYER: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
BEST SIGNING: Ibrahima Konate
BEST RESULT: Liverpool 5 def. Manchester United 0
WORST RESULT: West Ham United 3 def. Liverpool 2
GRADE: A
Manchester City (1st place)
Once again a Premier League title was added to Pep’s trophy list but it was far closer than the Blues wanted. It required a comeback win on the final day to Aston Villa. There were also a variety of shaky results that weren’t frequent with City including two losses to Tottenham, a draw to West Ham, and only a 7-0 win over Leeds instead of an 8-0 victory. The Sky Blues had key players come through for them during the season in important matches, including the usual favourites of Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodrigo Hernandez, and Joao Cancelo. Incoming and second-team players such as Jack Grealish, Nathan Ake, and Gabriel Jesus struggled for form as they did not get as much game time as they would have liked. Another fantastic season for City but they could do with improving results against teams they should be defeating.
BEST PLAYER: Kevin De Bruyne
WORST PLAYER: Ederson
BEST SIGNING: Jack Grealish
BEST RESULT: Manchester City 7 def. Leeds United 0
WORST RESULT: Tottenham Hotspur 1 def. Manchester City 0
GRADE: A
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