9) Southampton’s amazing revival
Given that they sold Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers in the summer, it’s incredible to think Southampton have had such a strong season and finished 7th. Ronald Koeman has been a miracle worker since replacing Mauricio Pochettino, and deserves huge credit for some smart signings, good attacking football, and an extremely tight defence second only to Chelsea in terms of goals-against in the league this season.
10) Everton’s disappointing season
After being so impressive last term, it is somewhat surprising to see Everton collapse to a lower-mid-table finish under Roberto Martinez this season, with last season’s exciting youngsters Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley for some reason not looking nearly as good as they did last year. Toffees fans will be hoping this season is a one-off and Martinez can get them challenging for Europe again next year.
11) John Carver’s Newcastle appointment
With Newcastle United needing a replacement for Alan Pardew, it was a big shock to see them go for someone so unproven as they promoted John Carver from the coaching staff. With no previous managerial experience, Carver instantly looked out of his depth but was still allowed to stay on until the end of the season despite a nightmare run of form that saw the Magpies only narrowly avoid relegation on the final day of the season.
