THE Premier League is set for a thrilling conclusion with Manchester City and Arsenal battling for the title.
Troy Deeney has broken down his favourite and least favourite parts of the season.
Weirdly, it’s Chelsea, purely because of their inconsistencies — never knowing which Chelsea is going to turn up when.
They’re a great watch for the neutral, even when they’re awful.
That’s what this league needs at times. Not everyone can be as dull and efficient as Manchester City. We need that variety and madness — and that’s what Chelsea bring.
One week they’re s**t, the next they’re good. They’ve got exceptionally good players and a great manager in Mauricio Pochettino.
I’m really interested to see how it plays out and develops next season — can they be as exciting while also winning more games?
This will sound bad but the three teams that came up — Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton.
Being at Watford in that role of the underdog in the Prem, we had to adapt. But with Sheffield United and Burnley especially, they have been borderline ignorant in their approach.
‘We’re gonna do it our way’ rarely cuts the mustard in the Prem when you’re a newly-promoted side. You need tried and tested players to drag you through it.
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They never really had a proper go at it or looked like they really believed they could stay up.
Casemiro. I never expected him to have the legs or to run around everywhere, or to be the best defensive midfielder in the world.
What I did expect was for him to use his vast experience and know-how at Manchester United to get them through tough times and to be a consistent presence.
He has been anything but — and United have suffered massively as a result.
Wolves and Gary O’Neil, for sure. O’Neil was thrown in a week before the season after Julen Lopetegui quit and from there they have gone on to have a brilliant season.
Mid-table, never really in trouble of getting relegated.
They really have been great and I hope they get the chance to build properly this summer.
I could rattle off the likes of Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, or even O’Neil, but I am going to go with Unai Emery at Aston Villa.
He took a team that was decent and turned them into a side ready to compete in the Champions League with that top-four spot.
They’ve managed to stay above teams with bigger budgets and who have spent a lot more and, scarily, I can only see Villa getting better under Emery.
Their fans should be very excited for next season — and that’s coming from a Birmingham lad.
VAR — 100 per cent. Let’s be honest, it’s been crap, and with the discussions and impending vote coming up in the league, I’m firmly in the camp of getting rid of it.
It has stopped referees from actually taking charge of a game in a manner that they would like and making decisions that are for the good of that match.
It has allowed for laziness — not by the ref’s choice but they know there is a safety net. The human aspect has completely gone and we need to get that back.
Cole Palmer. He was an unknown this season and when he signed for Chelsea from City, everyone thought, ‘Let’s see how he does’.
Now, let’s see how does when everyone knows who and what he is, when teams are preparing to stop him rather than his team-mates.
He is going to have a different light and a different expectation on him, especially if he goes and shines at the Euros this summer.
As it stands, I would say West Ham. They’re expected to bring in Lopetegui and he has got to change so much — philosophy, style — and that is going to take time.
If the Hammers do not show us something in those first ten games, the fans will quickly turn and the man in the hotseat could be in trouble and pay the price.
City. Everyone knows.
They have a one per cent chance. If you put loads of money on one number on a roulette table, you’ve got a chance, but you’re not expecting that ball to land.
That’s what it’s like with Arsenal right now in the position they are in. There is no way, in my mind, that City do not win their game. This is what they do.
