Top 5 surprises of the 2017-18 Premier League season

#4 Defending champions Chelsea fail to finish in the top 4

WAC RZ Pellets v Chelsea - Friendly Match — 2017/18 was a disappointing one for Conte

Antonio Conte announced his arrival in the Premier League by winning the title in his first season and was expected to compete again this season.

However, there seemed to be a tension between the officials and Conte even before the season started following the reports that the manager was not backed in the transfer market. This looks to have heavily impacted the Blues' campaign as they failed to finish in the top four.

Chelsea will be playing in the Europa League along with rivals Arsenal and Burnley next season, while Conte's future at the club will probably be discussed in the coming days and it remains to be known what the future holds for him.

The Londoners have a FA Cup final coming up against Manchester United this weekend.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Amit Mishra