Rezzil’s Season Review 2022/23: Part One

So that’s it, done. Another enthralling football season reached its conclusion following a sensational treble-win for Manchester City.

Here, Rezzil takes a look at how each individual team has fared throughout the last nine months. 

AFC Bournemouth

Final league position: 15th

Points: 39

Rezzil’s rating: 9/10

The season could not have started much worse for Bournemouth. Three defeats in their opening four games – including a 9-0 hammering away at Liverpool – saw Scott Parker sacked from his post and Gary O’Neil appointed as interim manager back in late-August. 

Things looked as though they’d be tough for the newly-promoted Cherries and a lot of people wrote their chances off, as the defeats continued to come thick and fast and Bournemouth managed just one league win from mid-October to mid-February and sunk to the bottom of the division. 

However, the board stuck with O’Neil – who was hired permanently by them in November – and finally more positive results started to treacle in. Seven wins from their last 16 games was enough to catapult the Dorset club out of the drop-zone and into safety, and O’Neil ended the campaign as a solid contender for Manager of the Season. A job well done by all involved, the task in hand now will be to repeat it next term.  

Arsenal

Final league position: 2nd

Points: 84

Rezzil’s rating: 8/10

Where to begin with Arsenal’s season? For a start, it must be deemed a success looking at the bigger picture but it must also be said that for many it will be classed as somewhat of a failure, as the Gunners blew an eight-point lead and ended up missing out on the title by five points. 

Indeed, while ending the campaign without any silverware following cup defeats to Manchester City (FA Cup) and Brighton (League Cup) will no doubt have hurt the north London club’s supporter base, securing Champions League football for next season and coming so close to a first league-win in 19 years cannot be understated. 

This Arteta side is still so young, hungry and full of promise and this season’s agonising near miss will only fuel them further next term. Had it not been for the unprecedented brilliance of Erling Haaland and his freakish goal-tally, his countryman Martin Odegaard probably would have been named as the League’s Player of the Season and the Norwegian will only continue to improve. 

Alongside the likes of Saka, Jesus, Martinelli and Zinchenko et al, the future is certainly bright for Arsenal. This season can definitely be marked down as a successful one – but there’s no doubt it could have been just that little bit better. 

Aston Villa 

Final league position: 7th

Points: 61

Rezzil’s rating: 9/10

After three consecutive bottom-half finishes, Aston Villa fans were treated this season. Disappointment under Steven Gerrard resulted in the former Liverpool midfielder being replaced by Unai Emery and the Spaniard has shown his pedigree in the West Midlands by improving this Villans side tenfold. 

Consistency has been one of the main issues within this new-age Villa outfit and while there has definitely still been a lot of that present this season, it has been equally balanced by substantial purple patches rather than continuously agonising winless runs – especially toward the end of the campaign when Villa lost only one league match from February 25 to the April 30, form which helped them achieve a top-seven finish and qualify for the Europa Conference League. 

Emery has got Ollie Watkins firing on all cylinders, with the England international netting 15 times in the top-flight, while Jacob Ramsey continues to improve under the ex-Arsenal boss. It will be interesting to see if they can retain this level of performance next season with European commitments certainly set to make things a lot harder, but this season was definitely one for them to remember fondly.

Brentford

Final league position: 9th

Points: 59

Rezzil’s rating: 8/10

Brentford have continued to quietly go about their business in the top-flight, picking up an array of admirers as they do so. In Thomas Frank they have a pragmatic and energising coach who is forward-thinking, tactically astute and able to get the best out of his crop of talented players. 

With the utmost respect intended, Brentford’s sole aim each season is Premier League survival and they have achieved that effortlessly since propelling into the first tier at the start of last season. 

They improved on their 13th-placed finish by four places this time out and can feel confident in doing so again next season – although the loss of 20-goal star man Ivan Toney for the first half of the campaign will no doubt be a huge blow. Shrewd recruitment is necessary for the Bees this summer if they want to avoid being stung in 2023/24. 

Brighton 

Final league position: 6th

Points: 62

Rezzil’s rating: 10/10

Brighton are undoubtedly the success story of this season. While Manchester City’s faultless dominance throughout the final furlong has grabbed most of the headlines, the Seagulls have stolen the hearts of many by their sublime performances and cohesiveness during a campaign in which they finished sixth, secured Europa League football and more than upset the apple cart amongst the big-hitters at the very top of the division. 

Many believed that Brighton would struggle following Graham Potter’s move to Chelsea in the autumn but they did the very opposite, with Roberto De Zarbi taking this amazingly talented side to new levels. As with any successful season a smaller team in the division endures, Brighton’s main challenge will be keeping hold of their prized assets in the summer, as the vultures begin to circle for Alexis Mac Allister and Moisés Caicedo among others. 

In truth, it would be a huge surprise if the Seasiders are able to retain the entirety of the class of 2022/23, but as we have seen before, that doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to replace them with players of the exact same capabilities. Brighton get a perfect 10 for their work this season, I doff my cap.