As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...
ing in football has become an obsession.
The tiki-taka style of Barcelona has now become the basis of managerial philosophies across the leagues and lands of Europe and beyond.
The problem is, few teams have the ability to execute it at the level required to make it effective.
Pep Guardiola took it to another level when he was in charge of the La Liga giants and it has served his Manchester City side well since he took charge in 2016 having won 18 trophies in the following nine years.
And, if the Premier League season had come down to how well teams the ball, unsurprisingly the eight-time champions would have been celebrating a ninth title.
With nearly 90% accuracy, they rarely put a foot - or - wrong.
And yet, in reality, it did not translate to success on the pitch this year.
Whether it was teams finally finding the chinks in the ing-machine armour or the side's misplaced es proving more costly than in previous seasons without key players, City could not take advantage of their dominance with the ball.
And for one of the most acute examples of ability with the ball not translating to on-the-pitch success, we only have to look at Southampton.
The Saints at one point looked set to break Derby County's record for the least amount of points in a Premier League campaign, and yet they were less than 1% behind actual league champions Liverpool when it came to ing accuracy.
While fans could have some appreciation for watching nice football, they might have appreciated some scrappy displays that resulted in hard-fought results and possible safety more.
In contrast, Crystal Palace had the least accurate ing of any team in the league.
And yet, Oliver Glasner's side ultimately finished 12th - just three points off a top-half finish - and won the FA Cup final against the club with the best ing ability of them all.
They are not the only team to have had successful seasons in their own right while being in the bottom six for ing accuracy.
Nottingham Forest were 19th in this table metric, but in reality were fighting for Champions League places.
Bournemouth and Brentford also battled for possible European spots into the final weeks of the season, and even Everton finished the campaign comfortably away from relegation that at one point they looked set to be in a battle to escape.
So what does this tell us? When it comes to winning football matches, ing the ball well is not the be-all and end-all.
*Table data from Opta
Manchester City and Barcelona have expressed an interest in Arsenal's 15-year-old English midfield prospect Max Dowman. (FootballTransfers, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Manchester City's prospective new midfield g Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan.
Here are some of your comments:
David: Excellent piece of business. Looks like the title is coming home.
Mark: Brilliant g, should fit seamlessly into Pep's style of play. Perfect age and cheap price to pay for the quality he'll bring.
Gary: We have an amazing young midfielder in Divine Mukasa who needs to come into the first team. He has 42 goal involvements and I don't want him blocked off by any new gs.
James: Solid player, looks after the ball and can see a . Should do well working with Haaland! Good business.
Jonathon: Looks more like a squad player and his showreels are not that inspiring. If it was a movie trailer, you'd wait for it to hit TV. But let's hope.
Ian: His stats in a poor Milan side were impressive. In Pep we trust!
Geraint: Very good g but City still need to address the main issue, which is the departure of De Bruyne! To this end, City must capture Florian Wirtz at any cost.
Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesManchester City have agreed a 55m euros (£46.3m) deal with AC Milan for Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
The 26-year-old will sign a five-year contract at Etihad Stadium after agreeing personal with City.
Capped 22 times for the Netherlands, Reijnders is the type of balanced midfielder City lacked last season.
The Dutchman scored 15 goals in 54 matches for Milan last term. It was the best goalscoring season of Reijnders' career, with the 26-year-old hitting double digits for the first time.
But the former AZ Alkmaar midfielder, who made his senior debut for PEC Zwolle in 2018, is far more than just goals.
Capable of playing deep or high in midfield, Reijnders' appeal to a coach like Pep Guardiola is clear.
The midfielder is capable of taking the ball in tight areas and is adept at beating the press either through his ing or ball-carrying.
With Rodri returning from injury towards the end of last season, Reijnders could either play alongside the Spaniard or in a more advanced role.
But the main benefit he will bring is giving Guardiola greater options in midfield.
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter Manchester City having agreed a 55m euros deal with AC Milan to sign midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, we want your thoughts on the news.
The Netherlands international, 26, played in all but one of Milan's Serie A matches in 2024-25, scoring 10 goals and assisting another four.
The club finished a disappointing eighth, but Reijnders still managed to win the league's best midfielder award for his efforts.
So, what do you of this potential g? Will he be good fit for City's midfield or did you have your eyes on someone else?
Freddie Pye
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesAs you may expect, plenty of changes are required at Manchester City before Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff can really believe they can challenge for the biggest of honours across the game once again.
Highlighting the depth of those alterations was the January market, when City brought in four new players to lessen the work required during the now-ongoing summer window, when at least a further four names could be brought into the squad.
The opening days of the market have given Manchester City fans a clear idea as to where the club feels alterations are required, and perhaps the belief of ers would not differ too much from the plans put into place by sporting directors Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain.
There has long been a need for a new left-sided full-back, while over on the right the pending exit of Kyle Walker would identify that as another role that needs investment over the coming weeks.
An ageing roster in the middle of the park requires additional energy, and Kevin De Bruyne's confirmed exit - with Napoli expected to be his next destination - unveils the creative midfield role as an area to be addressed.
Beyond those four positions, much of the other required alterations will centre around departures from the squad as a new generation of this Manchester City side is on the verge of arriving, and it is largely anyone's guess just how many players could be allowed an exit during the off-season.
Ederson, Stefan Ortega Moreno, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish, James McAtee… the list could go on.
Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...
Football games are 90 minutes long. They have been for more than 150 years.
So, what if they weren't? What if only the first 45 minutes mattered?
Some teams like to lead from the front, come out the blocks flying and try and get the job done before half-time.
If that had been the case this season and it all came down to that first half showing, then it would not have been Liverpool lifting the trophy, but in fact Arsenal winning their first league title in over 20 years.
With 20 wins, 13 draws and five defeats, the Gunners were the kings of the first half.
Four points behind them were Manchester City - a team that has for so long been able to control games from start to finish, but during their difficult spell with injuries and results, this was something they seemed to lack.
If the league really came down to this metric, Brentford fans would be planning for a Champions League adventure. While the Bees were fast starters this campaign, being able to back that up across the 90 minutes was their Achilles heel (ranking 14th in the second half).
And what about this year's Premier League champions? Arsenal may have had the number when it came to first halves, but Liverpool well and truly led the way in the second...
While some prefer to get their nose in front, others prefer a half-time reset or back themselves to get the job done later in the game.
One of those teams was Arne Slot's Reds.
They won 24 of their 38 second-halves, drew nine and lost just five. If it was this 45 minutes alone that counted, they would have had 81 points and - just like in the actual season - been runaway winners.
Another club that enjoyed success after half time was Chelsea.
Ranking seventh in the first-half table, the Blues were often in a position where they needed to turn things around or dig out a result in the second 45 and, despite the young age of the team, managed 17 wins in second halves.
A side deserving an honourable mention here is Crystal Palace.
They may have finished 12th in the 2024-25 league table after a underwhelming start, but when it came to getting a result in the second half, with 16 wins,12 draws and 10 defeats, they were up there alongside some of the best in the league.
*Table data from Football365
Manchester City are close to agreeing a deal for AC Milan and Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, 26, in time for the Fifa Club World Cup which starts on 14 June in the United States. (Football Italia), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha has given us his insight and opinion every fortnight on your Premier League club throughout this season.
But this week, he's in the hotseat for your questions.
Maybe ask him who should be on your club's radar this summer, or where a rumoured target or new g might fit into the team.
Perhaps see what he thinks about how successful a new recruit might be, who it is vital to keep, or what is needed to make next season a success.
Send in your questions here and we'll put a selection to him
