Premier League Round-Up: Chelsea have a chance to move on from John Terry

Alex Netherton wraps up the biggest talking points to come out of today’s Premier League matches.

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Chelsea end strongly but need to rebuild

With John Terry retiring, Chelsea now have only one player remaining in their squad who has been accused of racially abusing an opponent. Given that Diego Costa – who Geoffrey Kondogbia said made monkey noises at him – is also likely off to the Chinese Super League in the summer, there is plenty to be done in the summer. Chelsea have a chance to move on from the Terry era and become a much less unpleasant side.

They also need to keep hold of Antonio Conte. He is a manager who took over a wreck of a squad, in terms of morale so the way they were transformed is a credit to his ability to revitalise a club, get them to recommit to hard work, and to make a decisive, important tactical change.

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The club need more players now, to replace the outgoing members, and importantly to compete in the Champions League too. It remains to be seen if they can maintain this level of performance with more matches, but if there is any man capable of doing so, it is probably Conte.

Arsenal stagger on ahead of the FA Cup final

Arsene Wenger refused to confirm whether he would stay or go after the win over Everton. It was a win that came too late, but that is how Arsenal have come to stagnate under Wenger. They can impress when nobody expects anything – just think of all those brave second-leg defeats once they’ve been demolished in the first leg of the Champions League – but as soon as the pressure becomes meaningful, they are as much use as a salted slug.

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Against Everton, they impressed. They were incisive on the attack and largely they were competent in defence. They were creative and inventive. But still, there were hints about why Arsenal continue to struggle to really change their impact on the league and in Europe. In the first half, Laurent Koscielny went off for a stupid, dangerous challenge. Arsenal were already winning. They then lost Gabriel and Alexis Sanchez to injury, adding to the traditional Arsenal injury concerns. It always ends like this for Arsenal. Of course, now that they are expected to suffer against the champions in the FA Cup final, expect a brilliant performance, and an undeserved sheen on the end of the season.

Manchester United forced to take the weekend off

In truth, the Premier League should be able to move games to suit English clubs that are playing in Europe. The only time to alter that would, admittedly, come at the end of the season, but only when there is a material impact on the clubs concerned. For Crystal Palace and Manchester United, there was nothing to be gained from playing on Sunday as opposed to well before the Europa League final, or a few days after.

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As it was, United fielded youngsters and a handful of others who either needed game time or were the least unfit. Josh Harrop scored, and while it was an excellent goal, was more noticeable was the number of times he was simply happy to ignore Wayne Rooney’s demands for the ball.

Rooney has likely played his last league game for Manchester United, and may not even feature as a sub against Ajax later this week. This has been the season that the world has caught up with reality over Rooney. No longer fit or talented enough to be worthy of inclusion, and more than ever a drag on the whole team’s performance. United have underperformed with Jose Mourinho this season, and should not have needed the Europa League to get them into the Champions League, but it is vital they can finally rid themselves of their worst player.

Spurs could be even better next season

At the end of the season, players are tempted to think of things other than the next match. They might think about the rich, cultural delights of Dubai hotels. They could consider the rich tapestry of life in a Las Vegas casino. They also, to be fair, probably just look forward to some time to rest and enjoy sharing their free time with family and friends after being kicked around a park twice a week.

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Hull’s players had all these temptations, but with relegation already confirmed, they were probably working out how to escape to remain in the Premier League elsewhere, or to another top-flight team in Europe. They had evidently checked out, as they allowed Spurs to do whatever they want.

What Spurs wanted, as they had wanted all season, was to never stop. It didn’t matter that they were second, or that they had fallen just short again. It didn’t matter that the game didn’t matter. They wanted to win, and to do that they would run and attack relentlessly. It worked, obviously, but it shows just how much more there could be to come over the next few seasons. They may lose a couple of players, but their best two, Dele Alli and Harry Kane, look set to dominate for more games to come. This shouldn’t be Kane’s last hat-trick for Spurs.

Liverpool can be proud as much as they are relieved

Liverpool will be relieved after their final game. With their exceptional start to the season, they looked like the title challengers for Chelsea. But as exertion, a lack of bodies, and in truth a lack of talent in some players caught up, they trailed off. That it came down to the last match of the season will not matter anymore.

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Jurgen Klopp has done enough with his side to give them the best chance of recruiting well for the summer. There will be some money. Enough to make a difference, but perhaps not as much as the clubs around them who have their own oligarchs or nation states to plunder for cash. But in Klopp, they have a manager who can overcome these obstacles to continue to overachieve.