What all 20 clubs should pledge to do in 2022

Goodbye 2021, hello 2022. All you have to do is be better than either of the past two years, so quite frankly the bar is pretty low. It’s the time of year when we all make New Year’s resolutions that will almost certainly be broken within the first few weeks of January, and the Premier League is no different.

But what should the Premier League clubs be looking to change about themselves in 2022? We have suggestions for all 20 teams.

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Arsenal: Stop their captain doing un-captainy things

Captains are supposed to be leaders and role models: think about your Ahabs, your Kirks, your Americas. But recently Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became the latest Gunners skipper to be stripped of the armband or suffer some other bad footballing fate, continuing a trend with Arsenal captains stretching back to Thierry Henry in 2005. Even Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta suffered from the captaincy curse when he took the armband in 2014 and then only made a handful of appearances wearing it. If stand-in Alexandre Lacazette officially takes up the mantle full-time, it might not be for very long as his contract expires in the summer.

Aston Villa: Keep Gerrard happy at all costs

There were many wondering if Steven Gerrard had bitten off more than he could chew when he left Rangers to become Villa manager in November, but the former Liverpool captain has hit the ground running. Four wins from his first seven games have turned around a side who had lost five of their previous six, and Gerrard’s three losses have all come against the league’s top three sides. What magic has he performed? I have no idea but everyone at Villa needs to not change a single thing right now. Don’t upset the equilibrium….