The competition for tickets to the Champions League is tense
The Premier League championship and relegation race for the 2024-2025 season has been decided many weeks before the final match day. However, the battle for a place in the Champions League was still dramatic until the last minute.
There is only a three-point gap between third-placed Manchester City and seventh-placed Nottingham Forest before entering round 38. Therefore, all scenarios are possible.
The Premier League has secured an additional place in the Champions League thanks to the UEFA coefficient. And Newcastle are the team that benefits from being in fifth place, despite losing to Everton in the final round at home.
Nottingham Forest's seventh place is still considered an unexpected success. However, it will still be a regret that they have been in the top 5 for a long time.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have to accept a place in the Europa League, which could affect their summer spending plans.
Mohamed Salah's explosive season
The goal against Crystal Palace helped Mohamed Salah equal the record of 47 times participating in goals in a Premier League season.
The Egyptian striker is one of only three players to achieve this feat in the history of the tournament. It is important to note that the remaining two players, Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole, did this in 42 matches this season.
Salah has been named Premier League player of the season. His importance to Liverpool's championship is clearly shown through the numbers.
Liverpool hope the striker will go further after signing a new contract in April this year.
Are hamstring injuries on the rise?
Injuries have been a popular theme this season, with players having to miss a total of more than 25,000 days off.
Hamstring problems account for more than 21% of total injury days in the Premier League, while knee injuries rank second in terms of impact.
Arsenal lost Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel to a long-term hamstring injury. Havertz needs 3 months to recover, Saka needs 4 months, while Gabriel leaves open the possibility.
Marcus Rashford's hamstring injury has also kept him absent for the important end of the season for Aston Villa. The same is true of Nicolas Jackson in the Chelsea shirt.
Explaining this problem, competition density may be the main cause.
For some teams, there are more games than ever due to the prolonged European campaign after EURO 2024. Notably, Man City and Chelsea will also have to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in June in the US.
In addition, the intensity of the Premier League's competition is also increasing. The Premier League is worth watching more than ever for this aspect, but can players avoid the risk of injury?
The return of the number 10 when the 4-2-3-1 formation reaches new heights
Before entering the final round, Premier League teams used a 4-2-3-1 formation in 408 times - 112 times more than last season.
On average, the formation features in 54% of the starting lineup, marking the highest share of any system since the 4-4-2 reached 54% in 2008-09, before falling to just 12% in 2013.
There is no other close-up formation for the number of uses compared to 4-2-3-1 this season. The 4-3-3 has been used 114 times, a sharp decrease compared to 172 times last year.
Meanwhile, Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 appeared 117 times - surpassing 4-3-3 to become the second most popular formation.
Home field advantage almost reaches all-time low
Of the 10 matches taking place on the last day of the season, only the home team 2 enjoyed the joy of victory. The home field advantage is no longer as superior as before.
The home teams have won only 40.8% of their matches, compared to 34.7% of the away teams.
Except for the time when matches take place behind closed doors during the COVID-19 period, home win rates in the Premier League this season are lower than any previous campaign since 1888.
The end of the "Big Six"?
Is this the season where the concept of the "Big Six" no longer exists?
Their accumulated points of 378 are their lowest since all clubs entered the top six for the first time in Premier League history in the 2010-11 season.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea took the top four spots, but the remaining two teams, Man United and Tottenham, ranked 15th and 17th respectively.
Newcastle and Aston Villa are in fifth and sixth place. And many other teams have even higher results if based on basic data instead of just rankings.
