1. 40 Racing & Football Outlook May 24-30, 2011
WITH the 2010-11 season all
wrapped up, we review a selection
of teams that stood out from the
Premier League, Football League,
and Scotland.
man united
After taking over top spot from
Chelsea in November, Man United
clinched their 19th league title with
a game to spare, beating
Liverpool’s record in the
process. This season was definit-
ley a success for Sir Alex’s men
who have the chance to repeat
their double of 2008 when
they go up against
Barcelona in the Cham-
pions League final on
Saturday.
chelsea
Priced up as 13-8 ante-
post title favourites,
Chelsea were impres-
sive early on but drift-
ed, finding themselves
15 points behind lead-
ers Man United in Feb-
ruary. The defending
champions put up a
brave fight to comeback
into the title race, but
finished the season in
second. After finishing trophyless,
the Blues sacked Carlo Ancelotti.
man city
Big-spending City were 9-2 third
favourites at the start of the season.
This campaign has been a huge suc-
cess for Roberto Mancini’s men,
who secured their first trophy in 35
years after beating Stoke in the FA
Cup final. The Citizens also secured
a place in next season’s Champions
League after finishing
third, level on points with Chelsea.
arsenal
After a promising start, Arsenal
failed to live up to expectations once
again. Belgian defender Thomas
Vermaelen was out for most of the
season and his absence at the back
was felt as the Gunners consistently
conceded late goals and suffered at
set-pieces.
liverpool
Kenny Dalglish took over from Roy
Hodgson as Liverpool manager in
January after last season’s LMA
Manager of the Year was shown the
exit by the new American owners
with the club in 12th place. After a
disappointing start to the cam-
paign, Dalglish managed to guide
his side up the table. The Reds
finished sixth and can look for-
ward to next season under the
guidance of King Kenny, who re-
cently signed a three-year deal.
west ham
Despite the heroic efforts of Foot-
ball Writers’ Association Player of
the Year Scott Parker, the Ham-
mers struggled for most of the sea-
son. Defeat at Wigan in their
penultimate game – they were 2-0
up at half-time – saw West Ham rel-
egated to the Championship, cost-
ing Avram Grant his job.
top goalscorers
Dimitar Berbatov of Man United
and Man City’s Carlos Tevez were
the league’s leading scorers, dead-
heating for the Golden Boot with 21
goals each. Although hindered by
injury for much of the season, Robin
van Persie scores goals and got a to-
tal of 16 for Arsenal this term. Pe-
ter Odemwingie’s 15 goals helped
West Brom fight off relegation.
most assists
Man United’s Nani stepped up to
top the assists chart, creating 18
Premier League goals for the cham-
pions. Although it wasn’t his most
prolific season in front of goal,
Chelsea’s Didier Drogba was in
giving mood, creating chances for
his team-mates. He finished with an
impressive 15 assists to his name.
And, even though Arsenal captain
Cesc Fabregas was injured for long
periods of the season, the Spaniard
tallied up 14 assists, placing him
third in the table.
bad boys
Newcastle’s Cheik Tiote finished the
season with the most yellow cards.
The Ivorian got a total of 14 yellows
in his first season in the Premier
League.
Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic fin-
ished the season with 12 yellows and
Blackpool’s Charlie Adam was close
behind with 11.
Lee Cattermole of Sunderland fin-
ished the season with two red cards
along with Birmingham City’s Craig
Gardener, Arsenal’s Laurent Ko-
scielny, West Brom’s Youssof Mu-
lumbu and Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross.
Premier League title race
was a tale of two cities
final premier league table
P W D L F A Pts
Man United 38 23 11 4 78 37 80
Chelsea 38 21 8 9 69 33 71
Man City 38 21 8 9 60 33 71
Arsenal 38 19 11 8 72 43 68
Tottenham 38 16 14 8 55 46 62
Liverpool 38 17 7 14 59 44 58
Everton 38 13 15 10 51 45 54
Fulham 38 11 16 11 49 43 49
Aston Villa 38 12 12 14 48 59 48
Sunderland 38 12 11 15 45 56 47
West Brom 38 12 11 15 56 71 47
Newcastle 38 11 13 14 56 57 46
Stoke City 38 13 7 18 46 48 46
Bolton 38 12 10 16 52 56 46
Blackburn 38 11 10 17 46 59 43
Wigan 38 9 15 14 40 61 42
Wolves 38 11 7 20 46 66 40
Birmingham 38 8 15 15 37 58 39
Blackpool 38 10 9 19 55 78 39
West Ham 38 7 12 19 43 70 33
top goalscorers
P Goals First Last
C Tevez (Man City) 31 21 9 6
D Berbatov (Man Utd) 32 21 8 5
R van Persie (Arsenal) 25 18 5 7
D Bent (Aston Villa) 35 17 6 6
P Odemwingie (West Brom) 32 15 6 3
monthly awards
Manager Player
August Carlo Ancelotti Paul Scholes
September Carlo Ancelotti Peter Odemwingie
October David Moyes Rafael van der Vaart
November Owen Coyle Johan Elmander
December Roberto Mancini Samir Nasri
January Sir Alex Ferguson Dimitar Berbatov
February Arsene Wenger Scott Parker
March Carlo Ancelotti David Luiz
April Carlo Ancelotti Peter Odemwingie
2010-11 season review
hit
Javier Hernandez
The Mexican striker has had a
successful first season in
England, winning the
Premier League and has
helped United reach the
Champions League
final. The 21-year-old
has a total of 13 goals
to his name.
miss
Fernando Torres
A £50m January move
from Liverpool to
Chelsea came as a big
surprise to many. El
Nino only managed one goal
for the Blues after 13
appearances. A great deal
more is expected of the
Spaniard next season.
miss
Laurent Koscielny
Brought in from French club
Lorient for just under £10m,
the defender found his
first year in England
difficult. He was at fault
for Birmingham's
winning goal in the
League Cup final,
denying Arsenal a trophy.
miss
Benni McCarthy
Brought in on a free in
February, it was hoped the
former Blackburn man
would supply the goals
to save West Ham from
relegation. The South
African struggled to find
his feet and his contract
was terminated in April.
miss
Milan Jovanovic
Big things were expected
from the Serbian, who was
brought in from Belgian
club Standard Liege.
After impressing in the
group stage of the
World Cup, the midfielder only
managed five league
appearances.
hit
Peter Odemwingie
Brought in by Roberto Di
Matteo from Lokomotiv
Moscow, the Nigerian
striker managed to
score 15 league
goals to help the
Albion secure their Premier
League status for next
season.
hit
Rafael van der
Vaart
In Spain prior to this
season, Rafael van der
Vaart has had an impressive
first campaign in England. The
midfielder, a substitute in the
World Cup final, was part of a
very exciting Spurs side in
the Champions League.
hit
Cheik Tiote
The Ivorian midfielder has
taken to life in the Premier
League after arriving from
Holland in the summer. He
has been a consistent
performer for the Toon
and has one goal to
his name – a spectacular
equaliser against Arsenal.