The good, the bad, and the indifferent - all 20 Premier League teams rated

It was the worst Premier League season in ages, let’s not kid ourselves. The title battle was over by fireworks night, VAR was atrocious and there was a general absence of memorable games and epic goals.

One big plus was the excellent post-lockdown effort that enabled us to gorge on live matches virtually every night for six weeks without creating any health issues.

Here is the end-of-term club-by-club report and star ratings, presented by finishing position…

1 Liverpool

Another sensational season, in which they finally ended their 30-year wait for the title, means the rampant Reds have won 62, drawn ten and lost four of their last 76 league games, an incredible record that speaks volumes for the quality and motivational powers of Jurgen Klopp as well as the durability and magnificence of the squad.

They have had some luck in avoiding important injuries but they have deserved all the success they achieved and must now ensure they acquire a fourth top-notch forward because it is unlikely that Mane, Firmino and Salah can keep playing as often and as productively for another term.

2 Man City

The Citizens get a fairly easy ride from the media. Maybe it’s their pretty style of play or the charisma of their manager, but this has been a ropey old season and only a Champions League triumph can alter that truth.

They have squandered far too many points against teams vastly inferior to them and I just wonder if they are a bit flimsy.

Passion is the most laughably overrated attribute in football and I am not saying they finished so far behind Liverpool because they did not have enough chest-thumping yeomen on the pitch, but they conceded some woefully soft goals and lacked that steely will to win that Liverpool have and United had under Fergie.

They also lacked a third forward option and missed Leroy Sane more than most people acknowledged.

3 Man Utd

An excellent post-resumption surge lifted them into third place and hinted at bright days ahead for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his effervescent young squad.

He needs to decide whether he can still trust the deteriorating David de Gea in goal and the defence needs bolstering, but otherwise the future looks rosy and I can see them challenging hard for the title next term.

4 Chelsea

This was a really decent season for the Blues given their circumstances, but Frank Lampard’s honeymoon is now officially over and expectations will rise in the boardroom and the stands when battle commences.

Chelsea have already done some good business and Timo Werner should provide a more reliable flow of goals, but the most pressing task will be to acquire a decent goalie because we can now end all debates about the worst buy in the history of football. That was officially Kepa, who somehow cost, lest we forget, £71.6 million.

5 Leicester

Bravo, Leicester. You were terrific. I was all over the Foxes ante-post - for top four, top six, without the big six and on the handicap, and I bear them no ill will whatsoever that they failed to hang on to the top-four spot that had looked theirs for so long.

Cruel post-lockdown luck with injuries robbed them of the chance to play in next season’s Champions League but they were a joy to watch for most of the campaign and I will be amazed if they are not well up the table again next term.

Special mention must go to the brilliant Jamie Vardy, who won the Golden Boot at 33 years old and is reaping the benefits of having decided a while back not to bother wasting energy as Harry Kane’s understudy for England.

6 Tottenham

If you had bought every team’s points at Sporting Index’s pre-season mark Spurs would have cost you the most money. They were 15.5 points below the spread thanks to a wretched campaign that saw Jose Mourinho come in and turn everything beige.

They lost Kane and Son for longer than they would have liked but had it not been for the coronavirus interruption that could have been even worse and they would probably not have limped into the Europa League.

It will be interesting to see what Mourinho can do with what is likely to be a limited transfer budget and it will also be interesting to see what price the old moaner is for the sack race.

7 Wolves

Is it pure luck or the skill of the medical staff that keeps a squad so free of injuries for an entire season? Either way, Wolves thrived as a result of the regularity with which their best players were available and they retained seventh place, gaining two points more than the previous campaign.

They are also bang there with a chance of winning the Europa League so all in all it was a decent year, and if they buy Wilfried Zaha, as they should, they will take further forward steps in 2020-21.

8 Arsenal

All those Arsenal fans who wanted Arsene Wenger out so the club could go to another level got their wish, the only trouble being the new level is below the old one.

However, despite a feeble eighth-place finish, things are looking up with canny gaffer Mikel Arteta clearly a significant step-up on his short-lived predecessor Unai Emery.

Better players are needed, though, if he is to get the Gunners back up to where they used to be in the Wenger days despite a promising effort to see off City and then Chelsea to land the FA Cup yet again.

9 Sheffield Utd

What a phenomenal return to the top flight for the Blades, the bottom-weights having won the Premier League handicap with an assured campaign that showed what we suspected - Chris Wilder is a sensationally good manager.

The ultimate advert for the power of team efficiency over individual excellence, United started picking up points at an impressive rate and never let up. The big concern for their fans next term is that wonderful Wilder must be at the forefront of many a club’s radar.

10 Burnley

If the definition of a good manager is one who gets the most out of his players then Sean Dyche is a world-class manager.

To get a squad so relatively short of talent to finish in the top ten for the second time in three seasons is some achievement, and yet there is a snobbish sense within the game that he is simply the king of a particular realm who would struggle to command his troops as effectively elsewhere.

I’d love to see that theory tested because I am not sure it is right.

11 Southampton

Considering they were in proper relegation peril after caving in to a 9-0 home defeat against Leicester in October, this was not a bad recovery by Saints, who are usually a pleasant side for neutrals to watch and had a decent cutting edge in the form of the revitalised Danny Ings.

They are likelier to scrape into the top ten than go down next term, but whatever happens they need a better kit because last season’s was the ugliest in the top flight for many a year.

12 Everton

What a pathetic effort by the Toffees, who should be doing far better with that squad. Quite what they were doing buying Alex Iwobi for an outrageous £34 million I have no idea, but there was still enough quality in the Goodson ranks to amass far more than 49 points.

There is money for Carlo Ancelotti to spend apparently, and there will need to be because this is currently a club in the doldrums and high on the shopping list should be another keeper. Jordan Pickford is performing way below his reputation.

13 Newcastle

No Saudi takeover then, so it is likely Steve Bruce will be asked to soldier on for the time being, and so he should because he did a decent job under the circumstances.

Devotees of xG will say the Mags were simply lucky, and that may be so, but relegation fears were soon banished and a couple of canny signings might help them cement their Premier League place, albeit a few shrewd judges have wasted no time in snapping up the early 4-1 that they go down next term.

14 Crystal Palace

A weedy finish tainted the campaign and has put pressure on Roy Hodgson going into the new season, although he is as likely as anyone to get this squad to stay up and will only be able to kick on to whatever impatient fans think represents the next level if there is significant investment, which seems unlikely.

Indeed things will get far worse before they get better if Zaha gets the move he so richly deserves. Whether or not that happens, new attacking talent is desperately required, and after seven seasons in the top division the Eagles are on thin ice.

15 Brighton

Graham Potter won many new admirers with the manner in which he got Albion playing in the early weeks, although as the points dried up so did the plaudits.

But for clubs such as Brighton survival is the name of the game and the mission was accomplished without too much stress in the end. Adam Lallana is a superb acquisition and a couple more wise buys like that could see the Seagulls rise next term.

16 West Ham

How such a talented group of players spent so long battling relegation is a mystery, but David Moyes finally relied on character over pure ability and found a formula to pull away from danger.

Opinion is split on how important Declan Rice is to the Hammers. I would expect them to survive either way next season, but if the outstanding Rice stays and two or three of the right type of new faces arrive I can see them making dramatic progress.

17 Aston Villa

Jack Grealish should win every player of the year vote in existence for his massive role in somehow keeping up this otherwise awful Villa side.

Brave and clever in possession, with an eye for goal and the ability to spook defenders with his guile, Grealish is an astonishing talent and assuming all the top clubs are emptying their safes to try to buy him Villa will do well to finish anywhere other than 20th next season. I have seen 7-4 that they go down, which is massive.

18 Bournemouth

Considering how competent they looked on a good day this was a poor effort by the Cherries, who had the talent to stay up but seemed brittle too often.

You have to admire the job Eddie Howe did before his departure last weekend, but he did start spouting some nonsense towards the end of his time there, not least when once commenting: “The goals-for column has been difficult to positively impact.” Back in the day, “We couldn’t score in a brothel at the moment” would have sufficed just fine.

19 Watford

Their impatient rush to change manager at the drop of a hat, their reprehensible efforts to delay the restart and the antics of their silly wasp-thingy mascot mean the Hertfordshire minnows will not be missed.

And given their reliance on a small group of decent players, most of whom will surely leave, it could be a long time before the Hornets are back in the big time.

20 Norwich

For much of the season everyone had a soft spot for Norwich, who won hearts but not points with their attempts to pass their way out of trouble.

But then the penny dropped that they were simply a ridiculously easy team to blow out of the way, and so their modern-day yo-yo existence continues.

They will probably be back up within a year or two and maybe they will spend a few quid trying to stay there next time, although it might just be that they and West Brom understand better than most the key to running a prosperous club that is not blessed with the size and revenue of the richest half-dozen in England.

Not got a bet365 account? Sign up today and get up to £100 in bet credits.

Up to £100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Min deposit £5. Bet Credits available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport