1) Koeman’s team improvements may not involve Barkley
Ronald Koeman was not in the mood to bite when the issue of Ross Barkley’s present and future was presented to him at the end of a flip-flop, relaxed, season-wind-down at Arsenal. Koeman gives the impression he would not be too fussed if an enigmatic homegrown talent headed for the exit during the close season. Still sitting on the contract offer from the club, Barkley was dropped to the bench this weekend and when he came on there was not much in the way of impact. “My focus is to improve the team,” Koeman said. “We will see if there is interest in players. They will knock on the door and talk to the board of the club and, if that happens, then we will speak to each other about that situation.” A statement on Barkley is due on Monday and it wouldn’t be a great surprise for the end of this Goodison story to be nigh. Amy Lawrence
Match report: Arsenal 3-1 Everton
2) Cause for contentment, and caution, at Burnley
Burnley fans have good reason to feel happy after securing their highest final top-flight placing since 1975, when they came 10th in the old First Division. After a season in which the two clubs with whom they were promoted last season, Middlesbrough and Hull, sank amid upheaval, the Clarets are a model of stability and sound planning: not breaking the bank and wisely putting their trust in a capable, long-standing manager, Sean Dyche. Yet there were causes for concern in the closing months of the season. Burnley’s much-trumpeted strength at home has weakened recently – they have won only once at Turf Moor since the end of January – and defeat by West Ham dumped them in 16th place, only six points off the drop. All of which might help guard against complacency for their summer’s planning. Michael Keane and Tom Heaton are likely to attract intense interest from further up the Premier League. Dyche wasn’t afraid to splash the cash where he felt he needed to in the January window and some judicious recruitment will be needed again before everything starts up again in August. Tom Davies
Match report: Burnley 1-2 West Ham United
3) Conte makes Arsenal favourites for Cup final
After staged substitutions, a five-goal thrashing and a tearful farewell, Antonio Conte waited until well after the final whistle to deliver perhaps the most surprising assessment of the day. “If you ask me who you think the favourites are now, I think it’s Arsenal,” said the Italian as thoughts turned to next week’s FA Cup final. “They only have this possibility to make for themselves a ‘good season’ by winning the FA Cup. So we must prepare in the right way this week. I’m not talking tactically. I’m talking about motivation, the right fire in our soul and our hearts. Because thinking we will now achieve the Double is the real danger for us. We must think like winners, not like losers.” That offered an insight into Conte’s mind-set for this week but also for next season when his desire to defend the Premier League will be just as ferocious. This team will not be permitted to rest on their laurels. Dominic Fifield
Match report: Chelsea 5-1 Sunderland
4) Hull’s finances give measure of hope for the future
Ehab Allam, Hull’s vice-chairman, used his programme notes to attempt to put a positive spin on relegation. “One thing we have managed to do this season is protect the club through sensible financial decisions,” said Allam. Stopping just short of claiming he was all about “strong and stable leadership” he did, though, say Hull were on a “stable footing for the new season”. Boasting a £7.7m profit on player trading over the season and preparing to receive £47m of parachute payments next term, so the club should be. “This summer will be a vital one and we’re looking forward to it,” said Allam. “Plans are already underway in terms of rebuilding and re-shaping the squad to give ourselves the best possible start to the season.” A sometimes contradictory character, Allam made some very bad decisions last summer – most notably leaving Steve Bruce with such a weak squad that the former manager felt compelled to resign – but pulled off a brilliant coup in appointing Marco Silva as manager in January. It seems near certain that Silva will move on but Hull certainly possess the finances to “do a Burnley” and return to the top tier at the first attempt. Whether or not they will invest them in the playing staff remains a moot point. If not, serious questions will need to be asked of the owning Allam family. Louise Taylor
Match report: Hull 1-7 Tottenham
5) Shakespeare’s supporting cast may do him few favours
Craig Shakespeare did as well as any manager could have done after being appointed Leicester’s caretaker manager in February and, in that sense, he has put forward a strong case for being given the job for next season. Most of the players want him to get it but that may not necessarily be a huge point in his favour, as there needs to be significant turnover in playing staff this summer. Some players look likely to leave – such as Riyad Mahrez, although his performances for most of this campaign may have put off suitors who fancied him last year – and others need to be squeezed out. Most obviously Leicester need a couple of new centrebacks to cover and eventually replace Robert Huth and Wes Morgan. Paul Doyle
Match report: Leicester 1-1 Bournemouth
6) Klopp needs to rebuild Fortress Anfield before playoff
The Jürgen Klopp revolution – copyright any number or t-shirts and scarves on sale outside Anfield – has delivered Champions League football in two seasons. In point of fact it has delivered entry to the playoff round, though Liverpool are seeded and will not be complaining at their fate when they compare notes with supporters of Arsenal or Manchester United. A two-legged preliminary contest against a team of the calibre of Sporting Lisbon, CSKA Moscow, Hoffenheim or Steaua Bucharest cannot be taken lightly, however, particularly given the state of anxiety Liverpool worked themselves into when faced by relegated Middlesbrough.
Klopp will have had the opportunity to augment his squad by the time the play-off comes around, and he is thought to be looking at strengthening central defence and midfield. But what he really needs to restore is the Anfield fear factor. Poor home form was what led to the last-day jitters and if teams such as Crystal Palace, Southampton and Bournemouth can come to Anfield and get a result there is no reason why Europe’s mid-tier clubs should not be confident of doing the same. Perhaps Klopp does not need a revolution so much as a reboot. What made Liverpool unassailable in Europe in the first place was being more or less unbeatable at home. Paul Wilson
Match report: Liverpool 3-0 Middlesbrough
7) All’s well that ends well for Allardyce
As a man sacked in controversial circumstances as England manager in early October Sam Allardyce is entitled to view his reincarnation as Crystal Palace manager in the “all’s-well-that-ends-well” category. Despite Sunday’s loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford Allardyce guided the Eagles to a fine 14th-place finish after taking over a side only a point above the relegation zone on 23 December. Whatever the view of his football methods, Allardyce usually gets the job done. This time he did so with the help of three unlikely yet crucial victories. As he said: “Beating Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool was a great thrill. Without those victories we’d be relegated, down and out.” Now comes the nitty-gritty of building for next season. “We’ll be making decisions on a few players in the coming days, then dipping into the transfer market,” said Allardyce. Jamie Jackson
Match report: Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace
8) Rise in expectation spells trouble for Puel
As a section of Southampton supporters took to booing Claude Puel while he made his third and final substitution four minutes from time, nobody was left more baffled by the negative noise surrounding the Frenchman than his opposite number, Mark Hughes. “It is a little bit puzzling,” the Stoke manager said in his post-match press conference, before referencing Saints’ eighth-placed finish. “Maybe it is the expectation. When you raise the expectation – and Southampton have been excellent for a number of years now – expectation levels rise and people think they are disappointed. But if you look at it in the whole, maybe they haven’t done as bad as people are making out.” The football, especially at St Mary’s, has been largely uninspiring but there have undoubtedly been highs and lows across the 53-game season. Hughes, whose own team finished 13th, might just have a point. Ben Fisher
Match report: Southampton 0-1 Stoke City
9) Sigurdsson – should he stay or should he go?
Swansea City’s most influential player is almost certain to have a big decision to make this summer. After another hugely impressive season at the Liberty Stadium, during which Gylfi Sigurdsson scored nine Premier League goals and assisted 13, offers are sure to be tabled for the Icelander. Clement is adamant Swansea do not need to sell and also believes Sigurdsson’s experience at Tottenham Hotspur, where he completed only nine Premier League matches between 2012-14, will play on the midfielder’s mind. At the age of 27, Sigurdsson will want to be a regular starter wherever he is playing next season and it is questionable whether that would the case if he joined a top-six club. Everton, on the other hand, may be able to give Sigurdsson that platform, which would give him a bit of a dilemma. As for Swansea, they desperately hope he stays put and continues to be the club’s leading light. Stuart James
Match report: Swansea City 2-1 West Brom
10) All change needed for City to achieve proper success
Pep Guardiola’s delight at securing Manchester City’s place in the Champions League thanks to their 5-0 win over Watford felt a little overplayed. The first trophyless season of Guardiola’s managerial career has not been easy and City’s owners cannot be satisfied with the way Chelsea were able to charge away with the Premier League title. The time has come for significant change. These players have underachieved for the third consecutive season and some of them will have to leave, with Willy Caballero, Gaël Clichy, Jesus Navas, Yaya Touré and Bacary Sagna potentially following Pablo Zabaleta out of the exit. Guardiola said he will start to think about signings on Monday. Upgrades are required in goal, defence and central midfield if City are going to challenge Chelsea. Jacob Steinberg
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