The 2022/2023 Premier League season has come to a close, and it’s time to reflect on the highs and lows of the past year. From surprise upsets to thrilling victories, there were plenty of memorable moments that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Join us as we take a deep dive into the season and review the standout performances, controversies, and everything in between.
Top Performers: Players and Teams
The 2022/2023 Premier League season saw some incredible performances from both individual players and teams.
From a dramatic title chase to one of the tightest battles for survival ever, the 2022-2023 Premier League season had it all and more.
Undoubtedly, the best-performing teams were those who ended the season with something to show, even if Arsenal considerably had no trophy but we’ll get to that shortly.
When it comes to players who had memorable seasons, there are a few names that instantly come to mind; Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Kevin De Bruyne, and Harry Kane.
Manchester City
Who can stop Manchester City? With five Premier League trophies in six seasons, and on the verge (at the time of writing) of FA Cup and UEFA Champions League trophies, Pep Guardiola’s side are one of, if not, the best club side in the world right now.
However, their latest Premier League title wasn’t the easiest. Title rivals Arsenal spent 248 days at the summit of the Premier League, yet a combination of City’s determination and creative force led them to cut an 8-point deficit, winning 12 of their final 14 games.
- 3 Premier League titles in a row
- Average 65.3% possession
- 17 out of 19 games won at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium
Arsenal
Many didn’t fancy Arsenal to finish in the Top 4, never mind being Premier League leaders for a majority of the season. However, the second youngest side in the league proved doubters wrong, finishing with the highest points total since the Invincibles side of 2003-2004. If you are looking for a way to predict the winners of next season’s Premier League, we find that Kickform Premier League predictions (they use formulas and algorithms) is generally more accurate that our gut!
Although they failed to complete their title push, this Arsenal side shouldn’t be seen as “bottlers”. Their squad is full of potential with captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and William Saliba among the stand-out names. While their domination in the league and determination was exemplified by a dramatic late winner against AFC Bournemouth.
Newcastle United
Despite their polarising takeover, Newcastle United’s plan to return to the Premier League’s Top 4 has happened earlier than expected. Under the management of Eddie Howe, the Toon Army have recruited sensibly while Howe’s coaching has improved players such as Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, and Jacob Murphy.
Elsewhere, the exploits of goalkeeper Nick Pope with a strong defensive back line that included Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, and Fabian Schar, proved to be vital in Newcastle’s quest for UEFA Champions League football.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Brighton’s season started with an unexpected victory over Manchester United, their first at Old Trafford. It ended with the Seagulls landing a spot in the UEFA Europa League. In between, they lost manager Graham Potter to Chelsea, replacing him with relatively unknown Roberto De Zerbi. He would utilise players such as Moises Caicedo, Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan to secure European for the very first time, executing a possession-heavy 4-2-3-1 formation.
Through the data-led model of club owner Tony Bloom, Brighton has continued to find hidden gems and turn them into stars, with FIFA World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister amongst them. Having established themselves as a Premier League club, Brighton & Hove Albion set the standard for what promoted clubs can become.
Erling Haaland
Although some doubted Erling Haaland’s ability to transition into the Premier League(including YouTuber Rory Jennings), the Norwegian hit the ground running in his debut season for Manchester City.
After 20 Premier League appearances, he already had 25 goals, which is more than the last three Golden Boot winners. By the end of the season, he had scored 36 league goals – the most in a single Premier League season. Alongside his Golden Boot, he won the league’s Player and Young Player of the Season awards.
Martin Odegaard
Haaland’s Norway teammate and Premier League title race rival, Martin Odegaard, led his Arsenal team at the top of the table for the best part of the season. The attacking midfielder proved to be a creative force while captaining a young Arsenal side. Along the way, Odegaard netted 15 goals and assisted seven.
Bukayo Saka
It’s kinda surreal that Bukayo Saka is still on 21. Having firmly established himself as a regular for both Arsenal and England, his 2022-2023 season proved to be his best so far. Unquestionably one of the best attacking right-wingers in the league, Saka was constantly a nuisance for defenders due to his creativity and determination.
As a vital part of Arsenal’s title challenge, Saka contributed 14 goals and 11 assists before signing a new long-term contract with the Gunners.
Harry Kane
While Tottenham Hotspurs had a season many will want to forget quickly, Harry Kane proved to be a shining light. Kane was the league’s most consistent goalscorer, netting goals in 68% of Tottenham’s matches. While his 30 league goals made up 43% of Spurs’ goals scored.
It is also the season Kane became Tottenham and England’s record goal scorer with 280 and 55 goals respectively.
Kevin De Bruyne
Although Haaland was Manchester City’s title-winning goal machine, it was Kevin De Bruyne (and captain Ilkay Gundogan) who led the Cityzen’s creative force as they chased down Arsenal in the closing weeks of the season.
With 16 assists, De Bruyne won the league’s Playmaker of the Season with notable performances against Arsenal and Southampton. Ultimately, responding to Pep Guardiola’s call for the Belgian to go “back to basics”.
Controversies and Upsets
VAR
Another season and once again Video Assistant Referee (VAR) proved to be a constant talking point. It was a season where the Referees’ body PGMOL were scrutinised for making errors for the use of VAR technology, having to apologise for 13 mistakes caused by VAR with Brighton receiving three of them.
Managerial Departures
There was an unprecedented 14 managerial changes (plus 1 interim manager sacked) this season, with Chelsea along with relegated Southampton and Leeds United making two changes each. While Tottenham Hotspur parted ways with Antonio Conte after his press conference rant following a frustrating 3-3 draw at Southampton.
- August 30th – Scott Parker (AFC Bournemouth) – Sacked
- September 7th – Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea) – Sacked
- September 8th – Graham Potten (Brighton & Hove Albion) – left to join Chelsea
- October 2nd – Bruno Lage (Wolverhampton Wanderers) – Sacked
- October 20th – Steven Gerrard (Aston Villa) – Sacked
- November 7th – Ralph Hasenhüttl (Southampton) – Sacked
- January 23rd – Frank Lampard (Everton) – Sacked
- February 6th – Jesse Marsch (Leeds United) – Sacked
- February 12th – Nathan Jones (Southampton) – Sacked
- March 17th – Patrick Viera (Crystal Palace) – Sacked
- March 26th – Antonio Conte (Tottenham Hotspur) – Left by mutual consent
- April 2nd – Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City) – Left by mutual consent
- April 2nd – Graham Potter (Chelsea) – Sacked
- April 24th – Cristian Stellini (Interim Manager) (Tottenham Hotspur) – Sacked
- May 3rd – Javi Gracia (Leeds United) – Sacked
Chelsea’s Transfer Spending and Forgettable Season
Under the ownership of a new consortium led by American businessman, Todd Boehly, the 2022-2023 season was a new chapter in Chelsea’s history. However, it’s one they might want to quickly forget. With three managers (Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Frank Lampard) and over £500 million spent across two transfer windows, Chelsea’s season resulted in a 12th place finish. It’s the first time they’ve finished in the bottom half of the Premier League since 1995-1996.
Leicester City – From Premier League Winners to Relegation
Seven years from shocking the football world and becoming Premier League Champions, Leicester City were relegated on the final day of the 2022-2023 season. Despite a home 2-1 victory over West Ham, the Foxes will begin next season in the EFL Championship.
After picking up just one point in the first seven games, their form picked up in October ahead of the FIFA World Cup break. However, when the Premier League resumed in late December 2022, Leicester struggled to pick up points, only winning four games in 2023.
The decision to part ways with Brendan Rodgers was considerably done too late to turn their season around. Former Norwich and Aston Villa boss, Dean Smith, came into to try and put off an escape, but it wasn’t enough.
Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth Prove Everyone Wrong
Along with Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest were the three promoted clubs to the 2022-2023 Premier League season. While many thought the Cottagers had enough to stay up at the first time of asking, the same wasn’t said for the Cherries or the Tricky Trees.
Bournemouth’s 9-0 away defeat against Liverpool saw Scott Parker sacked early on in the season, despite an opening day victory over Aston Villa. Gary O’Neil was placed in caretaker charge, going six games unbeaten. Although their momentum stuttered before and after the World Cup, an April revival saw AFC Bournemouth climb out of the bottom three, finishing 15th.
For Nottingham Forest, it had been 23 years since they last tasted top-flight football, and with a promoted squad dismantled due to loan signings and contract expirations, Head Coach Steve Cooper and owner Evangelos Marinakis went on a major recruitment drive, signing 30 players across two transfer windows.
It was an expectedly tough campaign for the Reds, and despite heavy defeats away to Manchester City and Arsenal, Cooper galvanised his large squad to turn The City Ground into a fortress, picking up 30 of their 38 points at home. While a late-season goal-scoring surge from Taiwo Awoniyi pulled Forest out of the drop zone to end the season in 16th place.
Transfer Window Recap: Best Signings
The transfer window is always an exciting time for football fans, and the 2022/2023 season was no exception. Here’s a snapshot of some of this season’s best signings.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
As we have already mentioned, Erling Haaland had an exceptional debut season at Manchester City. Having signed for the club early last summer, he is undoubtedly one of the signings of the season.
Casemiro (Manchester United)
The veteran Brazilian swapped Madrid for Manchester last summer (for £70m), and while he took some time to adapt to the Premier League, Casemiro has been influential in a relatively successful season for the Red Devils. By bringing a determined attitude and leadership qualities to Old Trafford, he’s become an indispensable part of Erik Ten Haag’s squad.
Sven Botman and Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Dutchman Sven Botman was heavily linked with the Toon Army in early 2022, and after failing to land him in January, they finally got their man last summer. Joining from Lyon on a £35m deal, Botman’s physical presence and centre-back partnership with Fabian Schar has been a major part of Newcastle’s defensive might.
Another key ingredient of Newcastle’s success is the goalkeeping exploits of Nick Pope. Having departed relegated Burnley for £10m, Pope kept 14 clean sheets in 37 appearances.
Pervis Estupinan (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Last season Estupnian was a Champions League Semi-Finalist with Villarreal. However, his move to Brighton is just one of many shrewd moves the Seagulls’ recruitment team have made.
The Ecuadorian left-back has been influential in their surprise run to a 6th place finish. Replacing the departed Marc Cucurella, Estupinan has proved his worth with relentless energy, interceptive play, and connectivity with fellow countryman Moisés Caicedo.
