Chelsea may have begun the 2017-2018 season as the defending
champions, but there was not much during their campaign to signal they’d end up the same way. During their first game, they suffered a 3-2 loss against Burnley at home. The departure of Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic seemed to weaken the team, and as their form deteriorated further through the season it was clear that they would lose the title they’d won just a season before. Losing five out seven premier league matches during the second half of the season was enough
indication of how far the team had sunk. Conte’s men ended the season as they had begun, losing 3-0 to Newcastle during the final match to stay out of the top four.

There were, of course, moments during the season that Chelsea fans will want to remember. The win against Tottenham in Wembley in August comes to mind. Beating rivals Manchester United to lift the FA Cup was
also an exciting moment in an otherwise disastrous campaign.

That Chelsea will not play champions league football is perhaps the biggest proof that neither Chelsea nor Antonio Conte have been good enough. They were the defending champions, and that title comes with certain expectations. Next year does not look very good for the club either, with Manchester City expected to dominate the league like they did this year. As things currently stand, the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham have greater sides. If Chelsea hopes to mount any challenge for the title next year, things must change. Hazard and Willian have been great, but they need the rest of the team to be at par. Alvaro Morata has endured a difficult season, and it seems as if he is destined to follow Conte out of the door if Chelsea sack their manager. With a new manager, hopefully things can start to change in time for the 2018-2019 season.

All’s well that ends well, but as per usual England, with the help of the ref, don’t make it easy for their supporters. At least Panama should be a walk in the park? Right, right? Could 2018 be the end of England’s World Cup woes?

Last season, Liverpool made giant steps toward establishing themselves once again as a European powerhouse. They managed to clinch a top four sport on the final day of the PL and by that time were already in the Champions
League finals. On their way there, they managed to dispense with teams such as Man City and Roma, which are considered some of the finest in the business. Liverpool broke all sorts of records on their way to Kiev, with the front three of Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane playing talismanic roles. While the team had a decent game against Real Madrid  in Kiev, it was a horror show from goalkeeper Lorius Karius that eventually gave the Spaniards
their 3rd Cl trophy in 3 straight tries. The Merseysiders probably won’t beat themselves up too much about this, seeing as  even reaching the quarters would have been considered an achievement at the beginning of the season.

On the PL side, plenty of gains were made. The Reds managed to qualify for the CL for the second time in a row, which clearly underlines the resurgent mood of Anfield under Jurgen Klopp. They did so despite having a thin squad, which is testament to their quality. Mohamed Salah joined-and then steamrolled- the top names in PL history, becoming the only player to score 32 goals in a 38-game season.

As Liverpool prepares for another shot at glory next season, they have set about deepening their squad. Naby Keita’s arrival is on schedule, and the Reds have already snapped Brazil sensation Fabinho. Moving forward, Klopp and his staff will be required to manage and perhaps build on the expectations set last season at Anfield. It will be a hard thing to do for sure, but the affable German has never been one to shy away from taking on a challenge.

As an extension 0f my previous post, Raheem Stirling vs The Sun, below gives a taste of how the National Press ( primarily The Sun) have obsessed over the Manchester City and England player in recent years. This latest incident, a faux outrageous reaction to his gun tattoo is just one in a long line of ‘stories’ that taken alone are silly, and together border on harrassment. Many thanks to twitter user @adamkeyworth for bringing these examples to out attention.