Having covered the teams who finished from first to 10th in the Premier League 2021/22 season, we continue our look at the season with verdicts on the teams who filled out the bottom half of the table.
Newcastle United
Final Position: 11th
Grade: B-
Newcastle United made history this season when becoming the first team in history to survive in the Premier League after failing to win any of their first 14 matches.
Eddie Howe took charge of the club in December when they were 19th and he managed to guide them to 11th in the table, with some solid investment in January playing a huge part of this.
However, the English tactician also got the best out of the likes of Joelinton, Jonjo Shelvey, Ryan Fraser, Fabian Schar and others – something his predecessor couldn’t.
The future looks bright for the Magpies and it will be intriguing to see who they manage to bring in this summer.
Premier League 2022/23 – Top-Four Finish: 9/1
Crystal Palace
Final Position: 12th
Grade: B
Patrick Vieira has done more than a solid job in his debut campaign as Crystal Palace boss, guiding the club to 12th in the table and also to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
The Frenchman has mixed youth and experience superbly and he will be hoping to get the funds to continue what has been a strong start to life at Selhurst Park.
Premier League 2022/23 – Top-Four Finish: 25/1
Brentford
Final Position: 13th
Grade: B+
Brentford had ups and downs in their debut Premier League campaign but they managed to finish safely above the relegation zone in 13th, with a stunning 4-1 victory at Chelsea the highlight of the season.
Thomas Frank will be happy survival was achieved and will now be eager to ensure the club don’t take a step backwards next season.
Premier League 2022/23 – Top-Four Finish: 50/1
Aston Villa
Final Position: 14th
Grade: C
Having been appointed Aston Villa boss in November, Steven Gerrard has had a mixed time since arriving in the West Midlands and it will be interesting to see what he can do when given a full pre-season with the squad this summer.
The former Liverpool captain will already have his eyes on transfer targets and it could be a busy few months at Villa Park. With quality already in the team, the Villans will be disappointed at 14th position and it’s fair to say they underachieved this term.
Premier League 2022/23 – Top-Four Finish: 20/1
Southampton
Final Position: 15th
Grade: C
The Saints will be unhappy with a 15th-place finish this season and there is said to be pressure on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, who has had to watch some chastening defeats for his side during his time at the club.
There certainly seems to be potential with this Saints squad, but whether the Austrian is the right man to succeed is another question and a slow start to the 2022/23 campaign could prove costly for him.
Premier League 2022/23 – Top-Four Finish: 40/1
Everton
Final Position: 16th
Grade: D
Frank Lampard is certainly breathing a sigh of relief after he managed to keep Everton in the Premier League.
For large parts of the campaign, it looked like the Toffees would be heading into the Championship and that would have had massive financial implications for the club. However, they showed spirit towards the end and managed to pick up the required results.
There appears to be some dead wood at the club, while the futures of a number players are up for debate, all of which should result in a busy summer at Goodison Park.
Premier League 2022/23 – Top-Four Finish: 20/1
Leeds United
Final Position: 17th
Grade: C-
Leeds United were almost made to pay for their failure to recruit in January, but they managed to stave off relegation on the final day of the season, jumping out of the bottom three at the expense of Burnley.
The Whites are in need of big investment in the summer if they are going to avoid another battle at the bottom and it’s unclear whether Jesse Marsch has done enough to win over the fans since replacing Marcelo Bielsa.
Premier League 2022/23 – Top-Four Finish: 40/1
Burnley
Final Position: 18th
Grade: D-
Burnley’s time in the Premier League has come to an end and it could prove to be a difficult return to the Promised Land for the club, who have numerous first-team players out-of-contract this summer and who are facing a huge squad overhaul.
The decision to sack Sean Dyche didn’t work out and it remains unclear whether interim boss Mike Jackson will be given a crack in the Championship.
Watford
Final Position: 19th
Grade: D-
Watford’s stance on sacking managers didn’t pan out this season as they finished a lowly 19th, consigning them to a return to the Championship.
Xisco, Claudio Ranieri and Roy Hodgson were all at the helm during some stage of the campaign and there was never going to be any kind of settled squad with the changes happening in the dugout.
The Hornets may look to clear house in the summer and undergo a squad overhaul, although consistency is clearly something they would benefit from.
Norwich City
Final Position: 20th
Grade: D-
Another abject season in the Premier League for Norwich City, who ended up rock-bottom and with just five wins to their name. The Canaries scored a league-low 23 goals and conceded the highest number of strikes with 84 going past them.
They do have Dean Smith at the helm, so that could prove beneficial in the Championship, but the club need to find the right balance when it comes to the transfer market if they get back to the top-flight.
