The Premier League season would have been different if...
He may have spent much of the season declaring ever-lasting commitment to Chelsea, but there’s little doubt Jose Mourinho was keen on replacing Alex Ferguson last summer. United instead opted for what they saw as the safer bet in David Moyes, a decision that, in hindsight, looks a ludicrous mistake. Moyes seemed intimidated by the scale of the job and was badly let down by players who didn’t respect him. In contrast, Mourinho commands respect and would have embraced life at United. Had he pitched up at Old Trafford there’s no way United would now be preparing for life outside the Champions League for the first time since the 1995/96 season.
This might be Chelsea’s biggest cause for regret.Having taken 16 points from a possible 18 in games against theother top four sides, Mourinho’s men should be champions. That they won’t be is down to the absence of what Mourinho refers to as a “killer” striker. Samuel Eto’o is their most prolific frontman this season, netting just nine times in the Premier League. Demba Ba and Fernando Torres have each scored five times. Things probably would have been different had their pursuit of Rooney ended in success. In a struggling United team Rooney scored 17 times in the Premier League this season, just two less than Chelsea’s three strikers combined. Given how fine the margins between first and fourth were, Rooney’s contribution could have been decisive.
It is perhaps the biggest what if of the season. How different would the table look had Liverpool relented to Luis Suarez’s wishes and allowed the Uruguayan join Arsenal? Liverpool surely wouldn’t have taken the title race to the wire without Suarez’s staggering contribution of 31 goals and 12 assists from just 33 Premier League games. They might even be facing the prospect of another season outside the Champions League. From an Arsenal perspective, the effect of Suarez’s arrival at the Emirates would have been seismic. Despite their struggles in recent months and a dreadful record in big games, Arsenal finished just seven points behind champions Manchester City. Without Suarez, Arsene Wenger’s men were not far away. With him, the Gunners would almost certainly have been champions.
Manchester City’s trip to Everton eight days ago summed up Sergio Aguero’s season. After 22 minutes he hauled City level at Goodison Park. Six minutes later he was replaced, having sustained a groin injury in the act of scoring. The goal was Aguero’s 17th in the Premier League season. That decent tally becomes exceptional when you take into account the fact those goals came from just 23 appearances. Injury problems have dogged him all season and it’s hard to escape the conclusion that had he stayed fit Aguero would have pushed Suarez for the golden boot and City would have wrapped up the title long before the weekend. If there’s a silver lining in the Argentine’s absence for neutrals it’s this: The finale to the season would have been far less gripping had the Aguero stayed fit.
It’s possible Cardiff City would have been relegated this season even if Malky Mackay had not been sacked and allowed manage the club without interference. But the Bluebirds were outside the relegation zone – albeit by only a single point — when owner Vincent Tan finally dispensed with the Scot at Christmas. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Mackay’s replacement, oversaw just three wins from 18 games despite being, in Tan’s words “much better than Malky Mackay”. Tan, who compared himself to James Bond at the weekend, may genuine believe that. Few will agree.
It had to be him, didn’t it? It had to be the guy who called an impromptu huddle on the pitch after the dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester City and told his Liverpool team-mates: “We don’t let this slip.” Two weeks later Steven Gerrard did just that and Chelsea striker Demba Ba cashed in for a goal that meant Liverpool were no longer in control of their own destiny. Jose Mourinho was widely and deservedly praised for plotting Liverpool’s downfall at Anfield but Gerrard’s slip was the key. On such fine margins are championships won and lost.
It wasn’t the most attractive of opportunities. It may have been only October and Crystal Palace may have only played nine games but the Eagles seemed doomed. Those nine games saw eight defeats and just one win. That ninth game was a 4-1 home defeat to Fulham, a result that prompted manager Ian Holloway to walk away. Nobody then would have believed Palace would finish the season mid-table, having played a central role in the title race by first beating Chelsea 1-0 and then coming from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Liverpool. Taking the job was a brave move by Tony Pulis. Had he said no or not made such a stunning success of the job the table, at both ends, would look significantly different.
It’s a measure of just how well Ramsey played in the first half of the season that he was then considered a credible alternative to Luis Suarez to be player of the year. Of course winning that award requires a player to be, well, playing and between Christmas and the first week of April the Welshman wasn’t. Of all the players Arsenal lost through injury none was missed as desperately as Ramsey. His goals (eight in the league from midfield in the first half of the season), energy and workrate were vital to Arsenal’s early-season success and brought the best out of the likes of Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil, both of whom struggled for form in Ramsey’s absence. Had he stayed fit Arsenal’s chances of sustaining their title push would have been hugely improved.
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