The Independent

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Ange Postecoglou with the Europa League not enough to salvage his job after finishing 17th in the the Premier League.

Spurs lost 22 times in the league last term, falling well short of expectations, though Postecoglou inspired a famous run in Europe, snapping an 17-year run without silverware to guide the club to glory in Bilbao with victory over Manchester United.

Now Daniel Levy has opted to go in a different direction, with the likes of Brentford boss Thomas Frank and Fulham's Marco Silva among the main contenders.

With Spurs in the Champions League next season and a squad filled with talented players, it has suddenly become one of the most coveted jobs in Europe 16 days after that famous night at the San Mames. Here are the main contenders to succeed Postecoglou:

As things stand, the frontrunner to become Postecoglou’s successor at Spurs is Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

The Austrian has reportedly been sounded out as his replacement by Daniel Levy, who began to explore other options last week as talk of the Aussie’s departure began to heat up.

Frank has thoroughly impressed with the Bees since joining them in the Championship in 2018, guiding them to the Premier League before consolidating their status as a top-flight side - no mean feat in this era of near-inevitable yo-yoing.

Brentford finished the season in 10th - a staggering 18 points clear of Postecoglou’s Europa League winners - and will no doubt make life difficult in their quest to poach their manager. Frank still has two years on his contract so Spurs should be prepared to cough up compensation if they are to get him out of his current deal.

Another leading contender for the role is Fulham manager Marco Silva.

Similarly a proven Premier League manager with a strong CV in England, the Portuguese gaffer has undone the reputational damage suffered during a poor spell at Everton over the last few years at Craven Cottage.

Bringing Fulham back to the Premier League in 2022, he has quickly re-established the club as a force to be reckoned with after a couple of failed attempts at staying in the top-flight, and last season even battled for European qualification.

Silva has not outwardly expressed any desire to leave Fulham but could be tempted away if he feels he is not being backed in the transfer market.

This would be a major scalp for a floundering Spurs side - securing the services of one of the Premier League’s hottest managerial properties.

Oliver Glasner has transformed Crystal Palace in his season-and-a-half in charge, guiding them to a first major trophy in their history and subsequently putting them course (at least for now) for a European tour next season.

With an exciting, expansive style of football, the Austrian has won over both Palace fans and rival critics alike as the Eagles soared to their best ever points finish in the Premier League.

Tottenham would have their work cut out to convince Glasner that jumping aboard Tottenham’s sinking vessel is worth ditching a Palace project brimming with life.

The biggest name on the market, Tottenham could try and make a spectacular move for Barcelona legend Xavi.

The iconic midfielder waded into management in 2019, following a glittering career as a player that saw him lift eight LaLigas and four Champions League for the Blaugrana, on top of two Euros and a famous first World Cup for Spain.

After over two years plying his trade at Qatari side Al Sadd, Barcelona sought to get their former captain back and paid his release clause for him to replace Ronald Koeman.

He led them back to the LaLiga pinnacle 2022/23 season, but things turned sour in the season of his title defence. Off the pace in the hunt against Real Madrid, Xavi would eventually be sacked as Barcelona went into the final day of the season 12 points off their El Clasico rivals.

He’s remained jobless ever since but could make the bold move to Tottenham in an ambitious bid to rediscover his mojo in the dugout.

From searing ambition to a move most Tottenham fans would surely lament. One of the latest managers to become available, Tottenham could yet go in for one of their former players to try and steer the ship.

Michael Carrick was similarly dealt a P45 this week after failing to achieve a play-off finish with Middlesbrough for the second season running. However, his first season on Teeside was cause for optimism, managing a debut top-six Championship finish and providing hope that new managerial talent was blossoming.

Boro was also only his first full-time role in management, having spent a brief stint as Manchester United caretaker boss in 2021 following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

And with prior knowledge of the club, Levy could see the Premier League stalwart as the right choice to succeed Postecoglou, with the ex-midfielder having spent the vast majority of his 19-year career in England’s top flight.

Another potential contender to replace the Australian - while maybe a long shot - is Gary O’Neil, who has been out of work since being sacked by Wolves in December 2024.

The former Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and West Ham player, who started his coaching career as the assistant manager of Liverpool’s U23 squad, has previous experience with mid-table stragglers like Spurs this year.

He enjoyed a long spell at Bournemouth and was part of the backroom staff that oversaw promotion to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season, before taking charge first as interim and then permanent head coach by the end of 2022.

A promising start at Bournemouth - he was nominated for Manager of the Month in September 2022 - was replicated later at Wolves.

While in charge of both teams O’Neil oversaw a safe mid-table finish in his first season - 15th at Bournemouth, 14th at Wolves. He was sacked by the Cherries in the summer of 2023, despite securing safety, and took charge at Molineux in time for the 2023/24 campaign. But a dismal run of losses this season and a haul of just nine points by mid-December saw him sacked with the club firmly in the relegation zone.

Ange Postecoglou has said he and Tottenham fans will “forever” be “connected”, after the club sacked him as coach on Friday.

In May, Postecoglou guided Spurs to the Europa League trophy – their first silverware in 17 years – but also their worst-ever Premier League finish, as Tottenham ended up 17th.

The north London side lost 22 out of 38 league games amid that campaign, which also saw them exit the FA Cup to Aston Villa in January and suffer a thrashing by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals four days earlier.

Postecoglou, who joined Tottenham from Celtic in 2023, vowed: “I always win things in my second year.” And he did, but his stint at Tottenham has come to an end at the culmination of that second year, regardless.

“When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham, my overriding emotion is one of pride,” said the Australian, 59, in a statement via his agency CAA Base.

“The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.

“That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible. We have also laid foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. I have enormous faith in this group of players and know there is much more potential and growth in them.

“I sincerely want to thank those who are the lifeblood of the club, the supporters. I know there were some difficult times but I always felt that they wanted me to succeed and that gave me all the motivation I needed to push on.

“It’s important to acknowledge the hard working people at Spurs who gave me encouragement on a daily basis. And finally, I want to thank those who were with me every day for the last two years. A fantastic group of young men who are now legends of this football club and the brilliant coaches who never once doubted we could do something special.

“We are forever connected. Audere est Facere [to dare is to do].”

Tottenham’s own statement read: “Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties.

“Ange joined us from Celtic in the summer of 2023 and oversaw a period of change on the pitch, returning us to the attacking brand of football that has traditionally been associated with the Club, while writing a new chapter in our history by leading us to Uefa Europa League glory in Bilbao last month – an achievement that will live with us all forever.

“We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.

“However, the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season.

“At times there were extenuating circumstances – injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.

“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude.

“We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision. We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future – he will always be welcome back at our home.

“News on the appointment of a new Head Coach will be announced in due course.”

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Tottenham just 16 days after ending the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy with Europa League glory.

Spurs finished in 17th place in the Premier League, having lost 22 of their 38 games, yet this domestic form accompanied a European campaign that culminated in victory over Manchester United on 21 May.

Tottenham triumphed 1-0 in Bilbao, where they secured their first silverware since 2008, as Postecoglou fulfilled a vow from earlier in the season: “I always win things in my second year.”

However, such a monumental achievement was not enough to save his job, with Daniel Levy making the decision to let the Aussie go ahead of a summer of wholesale change across key departments.

A statement issued by the club on Friday explaining the decision read: “We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.

“However, the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season.

“At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.

“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude. We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision.

“We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future - he will always be welcome back at our home,” it concluded.

Postecoglou released a statement shortly after the club’s announcement, saying: “When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur my overriding emotion is one of pride. The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime.

“Sharing that experience with all those that truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.

“That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes when trying to accommplish what many said was not possible.

“We’ve also laid the foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. I have enormous faith in this group of players and I know there is much more potential and growth in them.”

Postecoglou, 59, cut an increasingly frustrated figure over the course of the Premier League season, as Spurs struggled towards the relegation places.

In January, Postecoglou pointed to Tottenham’s wretched fitness issues as an explanation for their alarming league form and maintained that the club would be stronger when players returned, but results did not improve despite senior players becoming available again.

Instead, Tottenham recorded their worst-ever Premier League season, adding to their exit from the FA Cup against Aston Villa in January and a meek defeat by Liverpool in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals four days earlier.

Former Celtic boss Postecoglou went unbeaten in his first 10 games in charge, winning eight, and steered Spurs to the top of the league in November 2023 in an impressive start – despite losing the club’s record goalscorer Harry Kane that summer. But Postecoglou struggled to replicate those early highs, with his refusal to compromise on his attacking principles of play at times coming in for criticism from fans and pundits.

The mood among Tottenham fans soured after Postecoglou cupped his ear to the travelling supporters during the defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April, and he later echoed former Spurs boss Antonio Conte’s final act as manager by urging the club to “stick to something”.

The Australian, however, seemed to win back many fans with the Europa League final victory, though he was coy on his future in the moments after the game. “I understand why it would be difficult for a club like this to buy into one person’s vision,” he said.

“I remember even when I signed, [Spurs owner] Daniel Levy said. ‘We went after winners and it didn’t work, now we've got Ange’. But mate, I’m a winner. I have been a serial winner my whole career. It’s what I have done more than anything else.”

Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Xavi, formerly in charge of Barcelona, are among those who have been connected with the role. Frank is thought to be the leading contender.

The next appointment will be crucial for the club as they bid to build on Champions League qualification and improve their Premier League position next season.

Tottenham Hotspur have explained the club’s decision to fire Ange Postecoglou despite the coach creating “one of the greatest moments” in the club’s history.

Last month, Postecoglou guided Spurs to the Europa League trophy – their first silverware in 17 years – but also their worst-ever Premier League finish, as Tottenham ended up 17th.

The north London side lost 22 out of 38 league games amid that campaign, which also saw them exit the FA Cup to Aston Villa in January and suffer a thrashing by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals four days earlier.

Postecoglou, who joined Tottenham from Celtic in 2023, vowed: “I always win things in my second year.” And the 59-year-old Australian did, but his stint at Tottenham has come to an end at the culmination of that second year, regardless.

“Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties,” Tottenham said in a statement on Friday (6 June).

“Ange joined us from Celtic in the summer of 2023 and oversaw a period of change on the pitch, returning us to the attacking brand of football that has traditionally been associated with the Club, while writing a new chapter in our history by leading us to Uefa Europa League glory in Bilbao last month – an achievement that will live with us all forever.

“We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.

“However, the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season.

“At times there were extenuating circumstances – injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.

“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude.

“We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision. We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future – he will always be welcome back at our home.

Tottenham Hotspur are searching for their next manager after sacking Ange Postecoglou 16 days after he guided the club to Europa League glory.

Snapping a 17-year drought for silverware was not enough to extend his two-year stay at Spurs.

And after finishing 17th place in the Premier League, Postecoglou oversaw 22 defeats from 38 league games, despite the season culminating in victory over Manchester United on 21 May.

That unforgettable night in Bilbao for Spurs fans, securing their first silverware since 2008, validated Postecoglou’s vow from earlier in the season: “I always win things in my second year.” But a new chapter now awaits in north London, here are the latest odds for the next Spurs boss after Levy’s ruthless decision:

Odds via Betfair

Thomas Frank 3/10

Marco Silva 4/1

Oliver Glasner 9/1

Xavi Hernandez 12/1

Kieran McKenna, Andoni Iraola, Michael Carrick 16/1

“THIS IS THEATER” reads a message across the gigantic screen dominating the stadium, as an operatic violinist struts and saws her few minutes on the stage, around two-and-a-half hours into the barrage of glitz, glamour and belt-thumbing boot-slaps that is Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter show. And it’s a grand-scale theater (sic) of the absurd.

For a good decade now, Queen Bey has been a proud pioneer of pop music as progressive art, making wildly exploratory, shape-shifting and genre-splicing albums that have elevated the form and absorbed several others: queer culture dance music on 2022’s Renaissance, country on last year’s Cowboy Carter. Translating them into stadium and festival sets, though, has tended to result in bewildering bombardments of entertainment, and she do-si-dos into a damp Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight with her 10-gallon crystal crown apparently slipping.

A country chart hit, Cowboy Carter nevertheless sold a fraction of Renaissance and, though you wouldn’t know it from this packed and roaring house, rumours are that some of the six London performances of this three-hour pop opera in seven acts have struggled to sell. We like it, obviously, but perhaps we don’t want to put an entire Ring Cycle on it.

To be fair, the venue itself might bear some of the blame. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is, by some considerable distance, the worst venue for gigs in the capital – getting here and back is a challenge that would defeat any Race Across the World team, and the security screening is effectively a shakedown by a black-market umbrella syndicate. It’s saying something that the place is significantly more life-affirming when there’s football on; in the name of God, Live Nation, stop putting concerts on here.

Or maybe fans have caught videos of this dizzyingly expensive show from less attractive angles. Full disclosure: I wasn’t really at this gig. At best, tucked down one side of the stage, I was watching from the wings as Beyoncé and her troupes of sparkle-chapped hoedowners square-danced frantically for the wide-shot cameras. An entitled reviewer griping over a bad seat, yes, but from a vantage point that exposes just how poorly staged, plotted and designed the Cowboy Carter tour is.

The stage itself is essentially just an enormous changing room behind a screen that spans the field; a small triangular indentation in the middle houses some quite spectacular moments. Beyoncé rises atop a golden horse, or dons an LCD neon dress for “Daughter”, which must be breathtaking for the 65 per cent or so of the crowd that can see in there. The rest of the show is directed unwaveringly towards the large lyric autocue at the back of the stadium, and with conspicuous cameras everywhere and the bulk of Cowboy Carter’s 78 minutes performed over three hours, the effect is of being the studio audience at a hard-sell TV album showcase.

The Cowboy Carter material has its moments. A Motown big band is wheeled out on – I can attest – elegantly constructed scaffolding for “Ya Ya” before Beyoncé, in worryingly flammable fur trousers, finds herself sitting at a golden piano on fire. “Flamenco” opens with a four-part vocal harmony segment recalling the old Destiny’s Child magic; “Levii’s Jeans” closes with a stirring soul crescendo as our heroine leads a parade of strutting cowboy Magic Mikes around her stadium-length walkway. Beyoncé and her dancers display a variety of interpretations on the theme of “riding” their golden bulls on the R&B noir “Tyrant”, while the motherly folk of “Protector” becomes the centrepiece of a touching familial segment, as Bey is joined amid a pyramid of writhing nymphs by her daughters Rumi (aged seven) and 13-year-old Blue Ivy, who also steals several parts of the show as a solo dancer.

But the set’s kaleidoscopic, often quickfire mash-up of styles (electro C&W, trap, disco, hyper-diva-pop and more) becomes a formless mulch in such a boomy space. The seven acts, too, lack any thematic solidity, besides the “Revolution” section, which sees Beyoncé declaring “America Has a Problem” from a podium, covered in headlines and flanked by dancing newspapers. It’s a moment of focus for the political undercurrent of a show drenched in the sounds and images of Black pride: Gil Scott-Heron, Kendrick Lamar, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Hendrix’s “Star-Spangled Banner”, Carter family home videos.

Expensive, Lynchian visuals do little to aid cohesion. Why is Beyoncé sipping brandy on an alligator, watching a stack of TVs with a horse or waggling a diamante carrot at us? And when the old hits do finally, briefly come, they’re in disjointed snippet form, as with “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, or in sluggish slo-mo (“Crazy in Love”). Ultimately, it’s left to a few show-stopping stadium gimmicks to make the evening: Bey flying over the crowd on a neon horseshoe on a thumping “Jolene”, or in a classic American car for “16 Carriages”. Yet, all the videos fans show each other on our hen’s-tooth train home look fantastic. I suppose you had to be there.

Ryan Mason has left Tottenham to take over as West Brom head coach on a three-year deal.

Mason quickly emerged as a leading candidate for the Championship club after they dismissed Tony Mowbray on 21 April.

Spurs' roller-coaster 2024-25 campaign - in which they secured Europa League success - only ended on 25 May and forced West Brom to bide their time but Mason, after a short holiday, decided to accept their offer and take his first step into management.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to have been appointed head coach of West Bromwich Albion," Mason told the club's website.

"This is a huge club with a fantastic infrastructure and an incredible fan-base and I am excited about what we can achieve together.

"Having spoken at length to the board and those at the club, I am convinced that Albion is the perfect place for me to be and I can't wait to get started.

"I will bring with me a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and ambition and look forward to a positive future together at such a fantastic club."

At the age of 33, Mason becomes the youngest boss in the Championship and this move ends his seven-year coaching career at Tottenham.

Mason, who progressed through Spurs' academy to play 70 times for his boyhood team, was forced to cut short his playing career in 2018 after he sustained a fractured skull in a Premier League match for Hull at Chelsea a year earlier.

A decade on from earning his solitary England cap against Italy, the London-born coach will embark on his first managerial role in the 2025-26 season.

Highly-rated coach Mason held talks with Belgian club Anderlecht in October before a mutual decision was made to remain at Spurs, which enabled him to play his part in the club's first trophy since 2008.

After two previous caretaker stints at Tottenham, including leading the club in the 2021 Carabao Cup final, Mason has long been tipped for a future in management.

Mason initially started coaching at youth level for Spurs upon his playing retirement before being promoted to Antonio Conte's coaching staff three years later, not long after a seven-game spell as interim boss.

Another caretaker role came in 2023 following Conte's departure before Ange Postecoglou kept Mason as part of his backroom team.

After a further two years as Tottenham first-team coach, Mason will take over West Brom after they finished ninth in the Championship.

Mowbray was dismissed in April after their play-off hopes ended despite only being hired in January to replace Carlos Corberan, who left to take over at Valencia.

Mason, whose contract at Spurs was up this month, will be tasked with leading West Brom back into the top flight for the first time since 2021.

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Ange Postecoglou has implored Tottenham not to settle for their Europa League success despite continued uncertainty over his own future.

After becoming the first Spurs head coach in 17 years to win silverware with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21, Postecoglou is still in the dark over whether he will be allowed to enter the third year of his contract.

Even though the 59-year-old received enormous roars of support after he declared at a trophy parade - in front of an estimated 220,000 fans - that "season three is always better than season two", no call on his future has been made after he presided over the club's worst ever Premier League campaign.

Chairman Daniel Levy is expected to make a decision this week, but in the meantime, Postecoglou took time out of his family holiday in Greece to speak with Australian broadcaster ABCTV about the meaning behind his trophy parade speech.

"I didn't want us to just enjoy the moment," Postecoglou said. “I also wanted us to think about what's next, you know - don't settle for this.

“We've got a taste of it now. My players have got a taste for it. The club's got a taste for it. Well, let's make sure we're back here again."

After Postecoglou secured Tottenham's first European trophy since 1984, he revealed that towards the end of January he made Europa League success the priority over the Premier League.

Plenty of rotations, as Postecoglou tried to protect the fitness of various key players, followed alongside a number of defeats, which increased the scrutiny and pressure on the Australian.

Postecoglou added: "That was when the laser focus came in. Every decision I made was around, 'well, how do we navigate this to get to get to where we want to'?"

While Postecoglou remains in the dark over his Tottenham future, he has no doubt there are more notable achievements to come in a coaching career which started in 1996 and has seen him win trophies with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, the Australian national team, Yokohama, Celtic and now Spurs.

"When we sat down 10 years ago and did the initial Australian story, I think maybe even you guys thought that that was the culmination of what I was about to achieve," Postecoglou reflected.

"In 10 years' time, if we sit down again, I've got no doubt in my mind that there'll be more stories to tell."

PA

So, that’s the 2024-25 Premier League final table set and locked into the records… a scenario that carries much more weight than that basic description might sound. The “imminent” outcome of the Manchester City hearing didn’t arrive, so its repercussions - whatever they might be - will not be felt until next season.

It remains remarkable we’re still waiting, although it consequently fits with a largely drab season that often felt like it was being drawn out. Even the brief civil war from City’s APT case petered out, the emotions put aside until “the big one”, as Liverpool cantered to their 20th top-flight title.

England’s most successful club winning ’20’ will be the main legacy of the 2024-25 season, to go with the sensational bottoming-out of the other record-holders: Manchester United.

There are some lessons from that, too. Aside from Arne Slot showing how a succession plan can properly work, even in an emotional sense, there was the science of it all.

A huge factor in Liverpool winning was they kept their best players fit, especially Mohammed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. That again might sound elementary, but it elevated them far above everyone, particularly rivals downed by a chaotic new European calendar, with Arsenal unable to endure a number of costly absences.

That was far from just luck. Liverpool are the best physically prepared team, which afforded them a decisive advantage. The managers of their closest rivals, Mikel Arteta, is known to have been monitoring this with interest.

It is at least possible the 2024-25 season becomes a watershed in that sense, as clubs finally realise the importance of being “performance-led”. In other words, allowing all major decisions to be dictated by the science and data. That may run alongside other evolutions, such as a leaning towards less intensive coaches who are willing to work in such systems, as well as a shift towards more pragmatic football. The age of the ideologue might be over, as coaches like Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola seek to allow more individual expression in their tactics.

While much of this has been cast as a riposte to Pep Guardiola’s “positional game”, he is far from gone. The Manchester City manager didn’t end up suffering a “Mourinho season”, to use Antonio Conte’s mischievous description.

After an unprecedented winter crisis, his club went and spent almost a quarter of a billion to secure Champions League football. They did it with some comfort, in the end.

That illustrates one reason why this campaign did not ultimately see the rise of the middle classes, in the way that had excitedly been anticipated for many months.

All of Brighton, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest ultimately faded away, while Aston Villa faltered in the final minutes, spurning a glorious chance to secure Champions League football despite the highly-controversial impact from referee Thomas Bramall.

The six clubs who have ultimately qualified for the Champions League are five former Super League members. Another is owned by a state.

There was at least a defiance and emotion to this specific Newcastle United team winning the Carabao Cup, but that points to how it was the cups that were left to carry most of the romance.

Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory will go down as one of the great moments of modern football. Oliver Glasner has marked himself as one of the brightest coaches in the game, but any aspirations about rising up that league table might well be tempered by a complaint that many of those above them have: that congested European calendar.

There were also such complaints below them. In winning the Europa League, Tottenham Hotspur defied the modern perceptions of the club, but also their own atrocious league form.

The domestic collapses of Spurs and United still form one of the stories of the season, even though defeats became so routine that they were no longer any way surprising. There is still a case study there, and maybe more lessons.

Put bluntly, it shouldn’t be possible for clubs of such wealth to finish so low. It is almost reverse alchemy.

While Spurs have changed the entire tenor of the season through victory in Bilbao, defeat made it so much worse for United. It sets up an even more important campaign for the club next year, and one that could have bigger questions for Ruben Amorim, Sir Jam Ratcliffe and the Glazers.

Both Spurs and United could have been in proper trouble had it not been for an even more problematic trend from the season. The damaging nature of the financial gap between the Premier League and the EFL has now been emphatically proven. This is the first time that the three promoted clubs have gone straight back down for the second season in a row. The relegated sides accumulated a collective points total that has never been so low for the bottom three. You could say 59 is pitiful, except it isn’t really their fault. It’s the system. So many clubs coming up now are going to face the threat of doing “a Derby County”. The football governance bill passing through Lords can’t really have come at a better time, especially given the inability to strike a deal on the redistribution of some of the Premier League’s ample wealth to the EFL.

The regulator came out of the Super League, and the exact same issues have this season brought more fan protest both from those in the stands and on the pitch. The Ballon d’Or holder Rodri discussed striking before suffering a serious injury.

More absurdly, discussions have taken place about the prospect of legal action over refereeing decisions in the Premier League.

The David Coote controversy only escalated that situation, the some claiming the PGMOL were in crisis. “Refereeing standards” and VAR now dominate the debate, in a way that previously became synonymous in Italy and Spain. It all combines to fuel self-defeating hysteria. With the campaign concluding with an enormous refereeing error hurting Aston Villa and prompting them to register an official complaint.

So 2024/25 continued the trend of off-field conditioning overshadowing, at times, the action on the field. But ultimately it was about a sense of waiting for the big one.