EPL 2013/14 - Post Mortem

What a season it has been! This is why the EPL has been everyone's favourite. The season is over and your life will have a new low after all the high each weekend. Is there meaning in life for soccer fans? 

The World Cup is coming and along with it brings together a different kind of spectacle after which you have a month of emptiness. How the just ended season has panned out and what will next season be like?

Manchester City - Congrats to Moneybags City! They played a good game and a good season. City have some great players. They scored 102 league goals and 156 goals in all competition. They were the most consistent and they were the most balanced side. They play an attractive game focus on attack. Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta, Samir Nasri, Yaya Toure, Aguero, Dzeko, Silva are in a class of their own. However, money does not buy success. It was their craggy face silver-haired manager Pelligrini who moulded the team as one solid unit and commanding the respect of his players. He was a civil engineer who helped rebuilt homes after the Chilean earthquake. He was always humble, never criticising other teams or managers. He was able to translate his philosophy to his team. No use playing mind games with him. He is unfazed. I like Pelligrini. Surely City are favourites again next season as they defend their title but they will crave for the Champions League. Only a team this good could pip Liverpool. This was his first major trophy in Europe. Salute!

Liverpool - Liverpool played the fiercest attacking soccer this season notching 101 goals but shipped 50. The defence need more than fine-tuning, perhaps an overhaul. The squad is too thin and next season gets more difficult as more teams will adjust to their play and there will be European distraction but first they have to ward off the attraction of other big and rich clubs who would love to have Suarez. Brendan Rodgers has been a genius and should continue to develop and enhance their level.

Chelsea - They are targeting Diego Costa but if you are always parking buses then you actually need bus drivers. Defensively, they have no peers conceding only a meagre 26 goals. May be they will play more adventurously with more attacking players. Will still be in contention next season.

Arsenal - The Gunners have consistently been in forth place so many seasons it has become a bad habit. They have been unfortunate with so many injuries but other teams have injuries too. What Arsenal need is a real leader. They need a Yaya Toure type of midfielder and they definitely need strikers. Giroud alone is not enough. Wenger must do something.

Everton - It will be tough for Martinez and Everton. Can they still keep on loan Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea and other loan players? The core of the team is still there and can only get better with young players like Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkely coming out to shine.

Tottenham - Tottenham is like a perennial curse. Capable of playing breathtaking soccer but they have always fallen short. Levy has sacked too many managers in such a short time. Their best was when Harry Redknapp was their manager. Last time around was good because they had Gareth Bale. How will they be come August is anybody's guess.

Manchester United - If Louis van Gaal is appointed, he will bring his won men and change things. It may not be so easy to immediately challenge for honours on all fronts but they should be better than the last term. You probably can't get worse than that for them. 

 An even more interesting, exciting season resume a month after the World Cup ends. It is a great soccer year!

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