What we learned: Key takeaways from 2023/24

As the dust settles on another extraordinary season of high drama in the Premier League, four sports writers pick out their key takeaways from a breathtaking 2023/24 campaign.

Adrian Kajumba

Near-perfection needed to finish above Manchester City 

Amid Manchester City’s latest jubilant title celebrations midfielder Rodri provided an insight into the mentality that is required to take their crown off them. 

Referring to the 0-0 draw between the two title challengers at the Etihad Stadium in March, Rodri claimed Arsenal did not want to beat Man City just draw. Pep Guardiola’s side would not have been similarly satisfied with only a share of the spoils.

He also highlighted Man City’s ability to go on winning runs to preserve a slender lead even if their rivals let them edge ahead by only one point.

Taking four points off Man City in a season is no longer enough. Drawing and keeping a clean sheet at the home of the champions is not enough. Nor is producing a record-breaking season. 

While some of their results in the first half of the season may be a source of regret, no Premier League runners-up have ever dropped fewer points than the four Arsenal did in the second half after 1 January, an indication of the pressure they were applying in the title race. 

Arsenal also set Premier League club records for goals (91), wins (28), goal difference (+62) and clean sheets (18). Still they finished empty-handed. 

The Gunners can consider themselves hugely unlucky to be up against this relentless juggernaut of a Man City team.

But Mikel Arteta has not hidden his burning desire to overhaul them and bring the title to Emirates Stadium. 

This season has underlined the consistency and high levels required from Arsenal to make his dream a reality. 

Crystal Palace have struck gold with Glasner 

Crystal Palace had tried twice to aim higher than just staying up in recent years. And on each occasion after it has not worked they have reverted to type. 

When Sam Allardyce, who almost guaranteed safety, left in May 2017 they appointed Frank de Boer next to evolve them. 

That failed experiment lasted only four league matches which all ended in defeat without Palace scoring.

Roy Hodgson, another safe pair of hands who Palace trusted to keep them up, came in to steady the ship before Patrick Vieira was then tasked with trying to take the Eagles on again. 

Vieira's inability to build on a promising first season led to his dismissal and Hodgson’s return in March 2023. 

He, again, did what he had to do and preserved Palace's Premier League status. 

But at the third time of asking, they appear to have found a man capable of showing that Palace can have greater ambitions in Oliver Glasner.

He has transformed the south London side since his arrival in February. Their form under Glasner took Palace from 15th to a 10th-place finish. 

The Austrian has maximised their attacking talent, inspiring outstanding form from Jean-Philippe Mateta (13 goals in 13 league matches under Glasner), Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze. Adam Wharton has become an England UEFA Euro 2024 hopeful. 

Glasner has successfully introduced tweaks to their formation with a back-three set-up and style, a pressing game and more proactive approach. Next season, and providing they can retain their key players, Palace should be looking up rather than down thanks to him.

Alex Keble

Glasner and Iraola leading mid-tier revolution

This was the year the wealth, power, and status of the Premier League began to impact managerial appointments at the mid-table level, a trickle-down effect that has allowed clubs flirting with relegation to pull off major coups.

We are at the beginning of a new phenomenon, and there are no better examples than the arrivals of Glasner and Andoni Iraola in 2023/24.

Glasner is one of the most highly regarded young coaches in Europe and therefore his Palace revolution - 24 points won from 13 matches, the fourth-most in the division since his arrival - ought not to have surprised us.

As for Iraola, who led AFC Bournemouth to their highest-ever top-flight points total (48), he was linked with UEFA Champions League club Olympique Marseille last summer before choosing the south coast.

Both managers have introduced cutting-edge tactics - with complex pressing traps and fast transitions - to the bottom half of the division, making Palace and Bournemouth brilliant to watch.

Above all else, that means goals - Mateta has 13 goals in 13 matches under Glasner while Iraola got 19 Premier League goals from Dominic Solanke.

It’s a far cry from the "firefighter" type who used to stalk the lower reaches of the division, and there’s more to come; the success of these two will only inspire other mid-table owners to take a risk.

A record-breaking year of goals is Klopp’s legacy

The year we bid farewell to Jurgen Klopp is, appropriately enough, also the season in which the Premier League goals record was obliterated.

A grand total of 1,246 goals were scored across the 380 matches, surpassing the record set in 1992/93 despite 40 fewer matches being played than in that 42-game season.

It was also the first Premier League season to average more than three goals-per-game, and the highest goals-per-game rate (3.28) since 1964/65.

Given how many 3-2s, 4-3s, and even 4-4s we saw it’s hardly surprising the record was broken, and there’s only one manager who comes to mind when you think of high-scoring matches and wild end-to-end football.

That is no coincidence. Klopp’s Premier League legacy is the "heavy metal" playing style that inspired a generation of young managers to follow his philosophy.

From Glasner to Iraola, from Roberto De Zerbi to Eddie Howe, managers up and down the division preach the hard-pressing, high turnovers, and fast transitions that Klopp introduced.

Nobody did more than Klopp to replace slower, possession-based Spanish ideas with the new German school of thinking, and now, firmly in its peak years, we see pressing and vertical attacking lines everywhere, leading to stretched formations, open spaces - and goals.

As we say goodbye to Klopp, we ought to acknowledge his contribution to making the Premier League more exciting than ever before.

Adrian Clarke

Sub-goalkeeper excellence

This was a campaign that showcased the quality of back-up goalkeepers across the Premier League.

Three of the top six save percentages from top-flight goalkeepers were produced by players who were not considered their club’s No 1 at the start of 2023/24.

Arijanet Muric topped that list with some outstanding displays in the final 10 matches of the season, a run of form which earned him first-choice status at Burnley.

During that period, Muric prevented an extra seven goals being scored against the Clarets.

Stefan Ortega and Caoimhin Kelleher also shone brightly whenever called upon by Man City and Liverpool.

And across longer periods, Martin Dubravka and Dean Henderson also proved to be very able stand-ins at Newcastle and Palace respectively.

Best save percentage 2023/24

During a nerve-shredding title race Ortega came off the bench four times, and impressed in five further starts for the eventual champions.

It was the German’s brilliant save in a one-v-one with Son Heung-min that kept City in front in their defining 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.

The unflappable 31-year-old prevented an extra 2.1 goals being scored against Pep Guardiola’s side, statistically outshining Ederson across the season.

Alisson’s understudy at Anfield, Kelleher, was also largely superb across his 10 Premier League appearances, preventing 1.4 extra goals from being scored.

The 25-year-old made 28 saves for Liverpool, helping to ensure they stayed in the title race.

It feels as if there is more strength in depth than ever in the goalkeeping department, with no discernible downturn in quality when a No 1 is forced to miss matches.

Tall strikers back in vogue

Head coaches across the Premier League placed added importance on having a physical outlet at the top end of the pitch in 2023/24.

Arteta’s use of Kai Havertz (6ft 4in) as his main centre-forward certainly indicated a shift in priority for the Arsenal manager, who encouraged his players to sometimes bypass the opposition press with a longer pass into the German.

Havertz’s technical excellence and mobility, coupled with his aerial prowess, gave the team a new dimension as he scored nine goals and made six assists in his last 14 matches.

At Newcastle, 6ft 3in frontman Alexander Isak was also a revelation, successfully blending skill, with height and physicality. The Swede was brilliant en route to his 21-goal haul.

Nobody finished the campaign stronger than Palace forward Mateta (6ft 4in), with his 34.78 per cent conversion rate (including blocks) the best of all players who scored double figures.

The next-most lethal finisher was another giant front man, Luton Town’s Elijah Adebayo, who scored 10 times (four headers) with an impressive 32.26 per cent success rate from his shots. He was another 6ft 4in forward who performed very well.

Chris Wood and Bournemouth's Solanke are other tall strikers who can be pleased with their output, while it would be remiss not to reference the Castrol Golden Boot winner himself, Erling Haaland, too.

The City forward once again proved to be a serious handful for defenders, plundering 27 goals in 31 appearances.

From a tactical angle it feels like powerful target men are back in vogue.

When they can move as quickly as these players, and finish with such aplomb, it is easy to see why they are so important to their respective clubs.

English talent thriving

Is this a "Golden Generation" of English talent? It certainly felt so across 2023/24, a campaign that will be remembered for homegrown excellence.

EA SPORTS Player of the Season Phil Foden was breathtakingly good for the champions. A tally of 19 goals and eight assists does not do justice to the 23-year-old’s consistent excellence. Whether it was floating infield from the wing, or starting as a No 10, Foden took his game to a higher level during the last nine months.

Cole Palmer and Declan Rice handled their big money summer transfers wonderfully well, producing the best seasons of their careers so far.

Rice was the driving force in an Arsenal side that achieved their second-highest points tally in Premier League history, and the Londoner produced 15 direct goal involvements along the way from his new box-to-box role.

Hublot Young Player of the Season, Palmer, was simply phenomenal for Chelsea, scoring 22 goals and making 11 assists. His instant elevation from squad player at Man City to one of the division’s most influential performers was amazing to watch.

He led the way as six of the Premier League’s top 10 in the goal charts turned out to be English players.

Ollie Watkins, the Castrol Playmaker of the Season, inspired Aston Villa to produce an unexpected top-four finish. Matching Watkins' tally of 19 goals was Bournemouth's Solanke, who smashed his previous top-flight best of six with a superb haul.

Jarrod Bowen and Bukayo Saka were also fantastic, combining to deliver 47 direct goal involvements between them.

The likes of Palmer, Foden, and Saka, plus Newcastle's Anthony Gordon, who also enjoyed his best-ever campaign, are all in their early 20s so we should see further improvement from all of them in the coming years.

English talent is undoubtedly flourishing at the top end of the Premier League.

Ben Bloom

Postecoglou is the Premier League’s most human manager

After the few highs but overriding lows of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte’s tenures, Spurs fans were crying out for the human touch in their next manager - a shift away from the cold-hearted egotism that had alienated them in recent years.

In Postecoglou they have found that figure, who possesses a dose of realism and relatability that is notably absent among many present-day elite managers. After his journey from Australia to Celtic, via Japan, Postecoglou has admitted to living out a dream in taking charge of a club the size of Spurs, and he is determined to savour it.

He is not flawless, stubbornly sticking to his on-pitch principles and upsetting supporters with his comments after many of them wanted Spurs to lose against Man City in order to harm Arsenal's title bid. But, unlike so many of his peers, he recognised his mistake and apologised.

Postecoglou speaks about showing referees respect, of honouring his family’s sacrifice in fleeing Greece to give their children a better life in Australia, and of football being more than just a game of winning and losing. It all comes down to one word: perspective. Where so many managers lack it, Postecoglou has it in abundance.

Luton’s campaign showed the Premier League is worth all the heartache

Life in the Premier League can be unforgiving, so when a club like Luton upset the odds by gaining promotion to the top flight, fears were widespread over the fate that awaited them.

Despite making an immediate return to the Championship, Rob Edwards’ side provided enough memories to last a lifetime for supporters who dreamed of clubs such as Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool visiting Kenilworth Road.

The pinnacle came at the end of January, when an Adebayo hat-trick fired Luton to a 4-0 win over their European football-playing opponents Brighton & Hove Albion. The hosts took the lead within 19 seconds and added a second after only 2 minutes and 17 seconds to send the home fans into raptures. Brighton - a side who had already beaten Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens - were helpless.

Three seasons ago, Adebayo had plied his trade in League Two. A few years earlier he was playing in non-league football. “Through my whole career, you dream of nights like this,” he said.

Playing the top three at home, Luton were a stoppage-time goal away from beating Liverpool, another from drawing against Arsenal, and they took the lead against eventual champions Man City.

Luton eventually fell short and were relegated on the final day of the season, but they gained much admiration along the way and gave their supporters a ride they will never forget.

Wharton might be one of the shrewdest ever winter transfers

The story of the “bolter”, who unexpectedly earns a place in a national squad with their late-season performances is nothing new. But if anyone had predicted that tag would be applied to Wharton only four months ago, they would have been treated with scorn.

At the start of the year, Wharton was playing for struggling Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. He was routinely impressing, but thoughts of national honours were wholly absent.

Then came the move to Palace that changed everything. He was thrown into the fray by then manager Hodgson for a chastening debut in a 4-1 defeat at Brighton, but has excelled ever since, helping the south London club to an extraordinary seven-match unbeaten run to end the season.

Wharton highlights v Man Utd

“I definitely didn’t think it would go as well as it has,” Wharton told The Sun. “I thought maybe I’d get a few appearances here and there because it is a big step up.”

Wharton only made his debut for England Under-21s in March, so his call-up to Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man senior England squad for this summer’s European Championship was a considerable surprise. But it was recognition of the aptitude he has already shown at Selhurst Park.

He is the type of deep-lying playmaker that English football has struggled to produce, impressing with his metronomic passing and combative ability. Whether he makes Southgate’s trimmed down final squad will do nothing to detract from the indisputable fact that Palace have a huge talent on their hands, and one for whom his low fee increasingly looks a bargain.