Liverpool and Mohamed Salah may have stolen the headlines at the top of the Premier League table – but not everyone is in the same boat.
For last year’s three promoted clubs, it was straight back to the Championship after a campaign which saw Southampton even threaten to outdo Derby County’s historic 11-point season.
And for Manchester United, the dust is only beginning to settle on a campaign which saw them finish 16th in the table and capitulate in a European final.
On an individual level, it was also a season to forget for many players. Here is a look at 11, in particular, who flattered to deceive.
GK: Arijanet Muric (Ipswich Town)
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Dropped before a shoulder injury ruled him out for the season, Muric made five errors leading to goals in just 18 appearances for Ipswich, the joint-most in the league alongside Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez.
RB: Vladimir Coufal (West Ham)
Released by West Ham after a season in which the diligent full-back finally began to show signs of his age. Made just 11 starts in the league this season.
CB: Konstantinos Mavropanos (West Ham)
It has proved a tricky season for West Ham defensively under both Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter, with the performances of Mavropanos regularly coming in for criticism.
The imposing Greek centre-back has started just two of the Hammers’ last seven games and may struggle to keep his place in the side if Potter is able to mould the squad to his liking in the summer.
CB: Radu Dragusin (Tottenham)
Brought in to provide cover for Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, the Romanian was given his chance to impress when the first-choice duo were both injured.
Dragusin, though, failed to take his chance and looked error-prone in the heart of Ange Postecoglou’s defence before an ACL injury brought his season to a premature ending.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)
The Arsenal left-back looks set to be heading for the exit this summer, having fallen further down the pecking order following the emergence of Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Zinchenko made just four Premier League starts this season, having started 20 the season prior.
CM: Kalvin Phillips (Ipswich Town)
After a disastrous loan spell at West Ham in the second half of last season, it was hoped that a move to Ipswich Town might nurture Phillips back to his best.
Instead, it has proved another campaign littered with injuries and inconsistencies, with the midfielder starting just 14 games as the Tractor Boys failed in their bid to avoid relegation.
Phillips will return to City in the summer, but will surely be on the move again ahead of next season.
CM: Oliver Skipp (Leicester City)
Costing Leicester City £20million from Tottenham in the summer, Skipp has failed to make the necessary impact in the heart of the Foxes’ midfield.
The Englishman has started just nine league games this season under both Steve Cooper and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
RW: Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Fresh off a season which saw him crowned Player of the Year, Foden has been brought down to earth with perhaps his worst season since breaking into Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Englishman, who scored 19 league goals last season, has managed just seven this time around and has started just one of City’s last ten games in all competitions.
CAM – Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea)
After an injury-affected first season at Stamford Bridge, Nkunku has hardly fared better this season under Enzo Maresca.
While the Frenchman has 14 goals in all competitions, just three of those have come in the league, where Nkunku has spent large portions of the season watching from the bench.
Likely set to leave the club in the summer as the Blues plot signing another out-and-out striker to challenge Nicolas Jackson.
LW: Raheem Sterling (Arsenal)
Despite injuries to key attacking players throughout the season, Sterling has barely featured for Arsenal after signing on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The winger scored just one goal for the Gunners all season and even that came in a 5-1 win over League One side Bolton way back in September.
ST: Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United)
The young Dane has shown very few signs that he can evolve into a striker worth the £72m that United paid for him in 2023.
Hojlund managed 10 goals in the Premier League last season, but has just four this season, including a 21-game stretch where he failed to find the back of the net.
The impending arrivals of Matheus Cunha and potentially Liam Delap could consign him to a spot on the bench next season.
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