The Premier League's winners and losers this season

Sport360 staff 21:04 21/05/2017
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  • What a difference a season makes. A year is a very long time in football – certainly long enough for players and managers to have gone through considerable improvement or deterioration in their situations.

    Here, we pick out five individuals who were on the up in the 2016-17 Premier League season and five who were on the way down compared to the previous campaign.

    ON THE UP

    EDEN HAZARD

    The Belgian had a miserable 2015-16 campaign in which he did not score a league goal until April 23, but he bounced back in style under Antonio Conte as Chelsea surged to the title.

    Hazard rediscovered his scoring touch and ability to glide past defenders with ease, so much so that Real Madrid began casting envious glances towards Stamford Bridge.

    DELE ALLI

    European champions Real were also linked with Tottenham midfielder Alli, who showed that he was no one-season wonder. The England international built on his impressive 2015-16 to score over 20 goals for Spurs in their final season at White Hart Lane.

    Keeping hold of the increasingly impressive Alli would appear to be integral to Spurs turning exciting potential into meaningful silverware.

    JURGEN KLOPP

    Few had Liverpool down as Champions League qualifiers at the start of the season. But Klopp, albeit without the distraction of European football, galvanised a Liverpool campaign which saw them in the top four for most of the season.

    The German also managed to get results by employing a high-intensity game which, at its best, was was the most dynamic in the league.

    SEAN DYCHE

    Burnley kept faith with the gravel-voiced Dyche when they were relegated two seasons ago and that decision has proved a masterstroke. The Clarets bounced straight back by winning the Championship and Dyche kept Burnley in the Premier League against the odds.

    Burnley might possess the smallest budget in the division, but they quite possibly have one of the best managers around.

    JOSHUA KING

    At the start of the season King had scored only 12 league goals and the early promise of a career which began at Manchester United was in danger of petering out. But the Bournemouth striker has found the net 16 times in giving the Cherries another bite of top-flight football next season.

    At the age of 25, the Norway international still has time on his side to make a real impact for some time yet.

    ON THE SLIDE

    WAYNE ROONEY

    Breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United scoring record in January, when he snetted his 250th goal for the club, was a rare highlight in a desperate season. The United captain lost his place in the early weeks of the campaign and was a bit-part player after that.

    There were also injuries and unwelcome front page tabloid headlines, and a parting of the ways after 13 years at Old Trafford looks inevitable.

    CLAUDIO RANIERI

    The veteran boss began the season as a Premier League champion but ended it unemployed and back home in Italy. Leicester’s fairytale had a sour ending as the likeable Ranieri was sacked with the Foxes falling into the relegation zone.

    Ranieri did not even make it to the end of their Champions League campaign as his assistant Craig Shakespeare replaced him and steadied the ship.

    DAVID MOYES

    Sunderland gave Moyes the opportunity to repair his reputation after painful tenures at Manchester United and Real Sociedad. But it quickly became apparent that Sunderland were doomed for the drop and Moyes was a pale shadow of the manager who had led Everton so well for a decade.

    Video footage of Moyes threatening to “slap” a female reporter also portrayed him in a poor light.

    JOEY BARTON

    The controversial midfielder began the season at Rangers after helping Burnley return to the Premier League. But Barton had his contract terminated following a training ground argument with a team-mate.

    Barton returned to Burnley’s first team, but in April he admitted his career was effectively over after receiving an 18-month ban from football for betting offences.

    CLAUDIO BRAVO

    Pep Guardiola’s first big call at Manchester City was to dump England goalkeeper Joe Hart and replace him with Claudio Bravo from Barcelona for a sizeable £15.4million fee. It is fair to say that it did not go well.

    While Hart was exiled to Torino in Italy, Bravo flapped, struggled to save a shot and eventually lost his place to Willy Caballero. Expect City to sign another goalkeeper this summer.

    Provided by Press Association

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