High Press Episode 11: Reviewing the 2023-24 Premier League season so far

High Press Episode 11:

Episode 11 of High Press discusses the Premier League season so far, including picks for Player of the Season and the biggest story of the campaign.
Host Alison Bender is joined by Adam Crafton, Paul Hayward, and Sami Mokbel to cover everything from Everton’s points deduction to Aston Villa’s title credentials.

Player of the season so far

Starting out with a look at Player of the Season, Hayward mentions several names, including Cole Palmer, James Maddison and Pascal Gross, before settling on Declan Rice.
Hayward explains his decision, “Arsenal needed a transformational player in that position. He has ability, talent, character, personality, and I like to see a player make a huge difference to a side.

And I think the reason are so prominent in the title race is in great measure because of Declan Rice.”
Crafton picks out William Saliba as a ‘proper difference maker’ for Arsenal.

Tottenham without Harry Kane

Bender brings up Spurs’ impressive campaign without Harry Kane, reserving praise for the performances of Heung-min Son. Crafton chooses Son as Spurs’ most important player and even said Arsenal would ‘definitely’ win the league if he was their main striker.

Best manager of the season

sSwitching to Manager of the Season (so far), Unai Emery is identified as an obvious candidate.
Crafton talks up Villa’s title chances.

“I don’t think the league is that strong if you go below the top six or seven teams. Most teams Villa will think they can beat on a given day. I wonder what they’ll do in January… I wonder what their limits are with Financial Fair Play and what they can do without losing their balance.”

Aston villa and the Leicester stories

Mokbel adds, “There are certain similarities with Villa and the Leicester story. Winning just becomes a habit. Those teams almost become mechanical, and they know exactly what their jobs are. He [Emery] may not have the best players, but there’s a lot to be said for a cohesive team.

“I think that’s exactly what Unai Emery has with Aston Villa at the minute.”Bender talks about Emery being a ‘forward-thinking’ manager.
Hayward responds, “He’s a brilliant advert for coaching and coaching the players you have. Presumably that’s why you hire a coach. We all think we want a good coach and then we start telling them they’re rubbish managers… We forget about the actual coaching. His coaching has been sensational at Aston Villa.”

Hayward even describes Villa’s performance against Manchester City as ‘revelatory’.
Mokbel and Bender applaud Ange Postecoglou’s job at Tottenham, specifically mentioning their efforts against Chelsea to illustrate how he sticks to his philosophy. Crafton and Hayward both compliment what Sean Dyche has done at Everton following their points deduction.

Biggest football story of the season

Turning to the biggest stories of the season, Hayward believes Everton’s points deduction could change the dynamic of the Premier League given the other punishments which could follow. Crafton describes Manchester United’s season as a ‘disaster’. Bender says it’s been ‘a bit of an embarrassment’ at Old Trafford.

2024 Football predictions

Finishing off the episode with some predictions, the panel talk up the title race going into 2024. Mokbel expects Arsenal to win their first league title in 20 years, while Hayward predicts England will win the Euros in Germany.

Who’s been your Player of the Season so far? What are your bold predictions for the rest of the campaign?

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