The Premier League’s Overachievers

The dust has officially settled on another Premier League campaign and it’s time to take stock of what went down throughout the course of the season. It’s always interesting to look at some shortcomings from clubs up and down the top flight of English football but in equal measure, it’s also about praising those that have gone above and beyond – with their success speaking volumes.

Today, we’re going to take a look at the clubs we believe managed to overachieve in comparison to what was expected of them.

Tottenham – 4th

Even though finishing in the top four should be a minimum requirement for a club like Tottenham Hotspur, the fact of the matter is that it looked incredibly unlikely throughout most of the season.

Eventually, they edged their way over the finish line, and Antonio Conte did well to help turn things around – but beyond that, Son Heung-min deserves an awful lot of credit for the campaign he had.

Brighton – 9th

Many fans believe that when Gareth Southgate eventually leaves his post as England manager, Graham Potter should be the one to take over – and he further proved why by guiding them to 9th place this season.

It may not seem like the biggest achievement in the world but the Seagulls have had to worry about the threat of relegation for years now. Under Potter, it seems like they could start to look ahead to possible European qualification.

Newcastle – 11th

You have to grade Newcastle United’s season on a curve ever so slightly with the Magpies being taken over by, well, essentially an entire nation, as Saudi Arabia have come into the picture.

Still, what they’ve been able to accomplish under Eddie Howe has been really remarkable to see, and the gaffer deserves to get an awful lot of praise for that.

Crystal Palace – 12th

Roy Hodgson wasn’t able to bring out the best in Crystal Palace’s first team squad but in the space of less than a year, Patrick Vieira has stepped up to the plate magnificently with the Eagles having a really strong season.

The fans have a reason to care about their club again and that’s largely due to the exciting, attacking football they’ve been able to showcase.

Brentford – 13th

Sure, second season syndrome is something Brentford fans will have to worry about as we head on through the summer, but the Bees can rest easy knowing they picked up a huge 46 points in their first Premier League season.

They wound up finishing 11 points clear of the bottom three and that’s kind of unbelievable to think when you consider how many fans and pundits wrote them off back in August.