The Straits Times’ Hard Tackle reviews the 2023-24 English Premier League season

SINGAPORE – To mark the end of a pulsating 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) season, The Straits Times’ Hard Tackle podcast collaborated with Money FM 89.3’s Sports Minutes to invite nine fans from the top eight Premier League clubs and presenter John Dykes to reflect on the campaign and look ahead to what is next for their respective teams.

Here is an excerpt of what they told sports reporter Deepanraj Ganesan and guest co-host Zia-ul Raushan.

On Arsenal’s disappointment of finishing second again and whether they will be back at it next season

Eddy Hirono (Arsenal fan): I think the KPI is actually in terms of points, so that’s one measurable yardstick of success, right? But you’re absolutely right about the Cups, and the disappointment this season was not about finishing behind Manchester City, as much as it was the limp way we bowed out of the Champions League. I felt that was a much better chance of silverware. When you’re going up against giants like City, then their consistency is always going to win out, and I fear that maybe we just don’t have that bit of experience.

Dykes: They (Arsenal) have a pattern of play, and we’ve seen it now over a period of time. It would take something unusual for them not to be good next season and that’s a great position to be in. And if you’re a club, if you’re a Tottenham Hotspur or you’re a Chelsea, or someone who is comparable in terms of resources, you should be looking at Arsenal and going, that’s the way to go. 

On life after Jurgen Klopp for Liverpool

Dykes: Klopp has left a legacy, but the problem is, unlike Pep Guardiola, who has a certain methodology about him, and you can see this in his so-called disciples working elsewhere, there’s a pattern of continuity. Because Klopp was so much about his immense personality, how do you replicate that? So he’s put things in place at the club, but it’s going to need something special from his successor to get anywhere (near) emulating that. And I would have a concern, because I think Liverpool are going to be a roller coaster, as they have been towards the end of the season.

Imran Fariz (Liverpool fan): Yes, there will be a dip, for sure. We saw it with (the departures of) Alex Ferguson and with Arsene Wenger as well that there will be a dip, but I believe we are in a much better shape than the two teams when the two greats left, because Klopp has laid the foundation. I clearly remember Klopp saying that he didn’t want to leave at a low point.

On the need for clarity when it comes to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) in the Premier League

Jod Gill (Aston Villa fan): The rules have to change, right? I mean you look at Villa this season. Jacob Ramsey, who was probably one of our best players the last season... because he’s got a net book value of zero, he’s being linked with Newcastle United and with every other club for £50 million (S$85.9 million). But surely it can’t be right for a club to sell one of their most promising academy products in order to meet a PSR requirement. In terms of that, there’s something very wrong if the player doesn’t want to leave, the club don’t want to sell that player and it’s a local player. Normally, these players are those you build teams around... to have that connectivity with the fans. So hopefully, at some point there are changes because it can’t be sustainable. The rules need to be simplified.

John Dykes: And then to replace him (Ramsey), you then go into a market and spend 35 or 40 million on a player who’s supposedly a proven player, but actually turns out not to be what Aston Villa want. So that’s, that’s the distortion that I’m talking about here. And when you bring a Monchi (president of football operations at Villa), you’ve got a slight problem there as well, because that distorts clubs as well. You get somebody bringing in a stream of players. I think the rules need changing.

Should Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag stay or go, given the season the Red Devils have endured

Fauzie Laily (Manchester United fan): I am not sure about ten Hag staying, even if we win the FA Cup. Because it feels like (Ineos) are trying to start from scratch. And if you want to do a total rebuild, I think you have to start from the manager and then move on to the players. So that’s the worrying part about us being Manchester United fans because, do we want him to stay? As fans, we also are not sure whether we want him to stay or do we want to give him maybe half a season, probably till January and see whether it works. Because he’s been using this excuse of there being too many injuries. Yes, of course the injuries definitely played a major role, but as a manager, I feel like if you are given these kind of challenges, and you don’t have certain players, then that’s where your expertise comes in, where you have to make some changes in terms of tactics.