2020 Review (July-Dec)

2020 has been such a long and mad year!

Honestly, I debated whether to write this, as I don’t think many will want to re-live this sh*t-show of a year. Despite the obvious, a lot of things have happened over the last 12 months, and that is equally true in the world of football. Despite taking several months off, the game had incredible moments prior to the break, and since it’s return the games have come thick and fast.

So, we will keep this short and sweet, and try not to mention or focus on the whole pandemic thing, but come along as we take a look back over some of the key points and stories over the past 12 months in the footballing world. Hopefully we cover the main points, but feel free to let us know on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) if we missed out any memorable moments for you, and we will be sure to throw them into the mix.

Brace yourself, and let’s get on with it…

July – On the 26th of July we saw the longest football season in English footballing history come to an eventual close, with Liverpool crowned champions for the first time since 1990, and their first under the Premier League banner, finally breaking this curse that had been lingering over their head for so long. They were deserved champions as well, just missing the exclusive 100 point club by just 1 point after stumbling in the final few games of the season dropping 8 points in the post lockdown matches. Of course, this could be excused given the celebrations that were taking place following the mathematical crowning at the end of June with Chelsea beating Manchester City to put it beyond any doubt. Once again, they should be truly recognised as a top team that have changed the way football is played under Klopp, with their high pressing style and resolute defence being on point all season. Moving down the table, Manchester United claimed a Champions League spot, and leapfrogged up to 3rd in the table after beating Leicester City and having Chelsea drop points. Meanwhile, Leicester and Tottenham bagged Europa League places, with the 3rd spot going to Arsenal for their FA Cup win (August). Sheffield United had stunned everyone with their performances this season, however only managed a 9th placed finish after having a bad run of games post-lockdown. And finally, Norwich, Watford and Bournemouth were relegated, with Norwich’s fate being inevitable for some time, Watford and Bournemouth fought till the end, however it was Villa’s ability to pick up points in the final few games that saw them stay up by just 1 point. It must have been heart-breaking for Bournemouth, as in the first post-lockdown game, Villa were rewarded a miracle refereeing decision to actually give them a point against Sheffield United which looking now has made a huge difference. Elsewhere, Leeds United returned to the Premier League for the first time in over 15 years, dominating under Bielsa, with West Brom claiming the automatic spot in 2nd. Across Europe, Real Madrid won the La Liga title, Bayern claimed the Bundesliga and Juventus won another Serie A Scudetto. It was a long and unique season, but one that nobody will forget for some time.

August – In what should have been a relaxing break for football, it was a case of wrapping up the lose ends, as we had the FA Cup final played on the 1st of August, in which Arsenal won another trophy, turning a mediocre season into quite an impressive campaign, the Championship playoffs took place with Fulham beating Brentford at Wembley to see their return to the top-flight, and the Champions League and Europa League games were concluded on neutral grounds. It was a treat of a spectacle as Europe’s elite met in a single country to finish what had started way back in February, as the knockout games were played as single-legged ties in the space of a fortnight. PSG made their way to the final and looked like the trophy may finally be heading to Paris after they had spent so much to get there, however a dominant Bayern Munich, who had battered Barcelona 8-2 just a few days prior, claimed the title after winning 1-0. It was a close game, however it was another case of PSG’s stars making errors and losing their heads when it mattered. Also, around the whole world of football, the transfer window had opened, however clubs were much more cautious in this window than we had seen in a long time. With Covid causing massive financial hits on football, clubs were unwilling to settle for anything less than a premium price for their star players, meaning buyers weren’t buying, and all the big moves such as Neymar, Messi, Kane, Haaland, Sancho etc. all became fish and chip paper stories as we were left with moves of desperation and necessity rather than extravagance. Despite this, one club countered the trend and spent like money was going out of style, as Chelsea spent over £200million on attacking talents that had lit up European football in recent months. With Werner, Havertz, Thiago Silva, Mendy and Ziyech all moving to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were making up for their “transfer ban” over recent windows and Lampard’s squad was revitalised with a bunch of new fresh and exciting talents.

September – In seemingly no time at all, September brought about the start of a brand new footballing season with the hope of no further disruption. The Premier League returned with some fascinating results, including Liverpool beating newly promoted and seemingly entertaining Leeds United, who look like a great addition to this years league. Everton under Ancelotti with their latest additions looked to be a dangerous threat as they went unbeaten in their opening 3 fixtures, including the entertaining 5-2 win over a seemingly destined to forever yo-yo West Brom. Manchester United stumbled in their opener, losing 3-1 to Palace, and the result of the month has to go to Leicester City who beat league favourites Manchester City 5-2 in a dominant performance. With Liverpool stumbling to wins, City dropping points and Manchester United stumbling at the first hurdle, this Premier League appeared up for grabs.

October – The never-ending football continued into October, with the Premier League continuing to entertain on a daily basis. In the first weekend of Premier League football in the month of October, we saw 2 of the most extraordinary results in what will surely go down in history as one of the most memorable days of football, as Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester United 6-1 in which Mourinho stunned his former employers, only for this to be outdone by Aston Villa dominating reigning champions Liverpool 7-2. These games added to the fantastic start to the league in which we have seen goals galore and proof that anyone can beat anyone in this season. The following Saturday was another cracking start to the weekend, as Man United recovered from the previous weekend to win 4-1, City beat Arsenal 1-0, Chelsea drew 3-3 with Southampton and in the Merseyside derby, they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in which VAR was once again called into question, and last years’ player of the season Van Dijk suffered what has turned into a season ending injury. With these instances of Liverpool dropping points, and losing their star man, the favourite for the title is anyone’s guess, however City have been slowly picking up the wins and doing there job with a seeming calmness and humility that the free-scoring side has become accustomed to. Another highlight of this month’s football, was West Ham’s incredible comeback against Tottenham, as they turned a 3-0 deficit into a 3-3 comeback that Hammers’ fans will remember. Across Europe, the Champions League and Europa League got underway this month, with Europe’s elite taking each other on and despite the obvious Coronavirus concerns, the competition has gone off without a hitch. Manchester United went to Paris and shocked last years’ finalists, while Barcelona, Bayern and City eased to victory.

November – November 2020 brought great sadness to the footballing world as we lost a great in Maradona, leaving behind a legacy that can never, and will never be matched. With on-field brilliance, and off-field exuberance, there’s only one Maradona, and the footballing world will not be the same without him. Meanwhile, in November, the Premier League continued as we began seeing a clearer picture of the season, and the goals kept flowing. Games with 5+ goals were quickly becoming normality and as a neutral for many of these games, it’s bloody entertaining for sure. We also saw City vs Liverpool this month where we had hoped to see a closer view of the title race picture, however with a 1-1 draw, we were left none the wiser. Both were picking up points, and both were also dropping points. Speaking of which, at the bottom end of the table, Sheffield United had just 1 point from the opening 10 games in what was a major turn-around from the previous campaign. Throughout Europe, the Champions League group stages were in full flow, and again we were treated to some quality football. The usual suspects were dominating, and showing their talents on the biggest stage, and there were the occasional surprise result thrown in for good measure. It had been a packed month of football, only to get busier in the final Christmas period.

December – Finally, we have reached December, and in the past few weeks football has still remained thick and fast over the Christmas period. We had Liverpool winning 7-0 over Palace, Man United winning against rivals Leeds 6-2 in an exhilarating fixture and Leeds going on to beat West Brom 5-0. I would love to hear an analysists understanding of this season as every game seems to have plenty of goals and long may it continue. This month, we saw Bilić sacked from West Brom and replaced by Big Sam in what must be an attempt for a rescue salvage mission. Meanwhile, Sheffield United continued to struggle, picking up just 1 point but remaining winless thus far. In the Champions League, the group stages came to a close and Manchester United among others dropped out of the big time and enter into the Europa League for the knockout rounds to come. Overall, this year has been just a huge sh*tshow in the most part, but things are looking up and with the hopeful return of crowds on the horizon, we can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So F**K off 2020, lets start fresh and see what 2021 can bring.