I am not sure if this is the correct time for this discussion, but given this week that has seen us fall from the Champions League Quarter Finals in quite spectacular, dramatic fashion, I thought it was interesting to re-visit our team last season, which, may not get as much credit as I feel it may actually deserve and which, as of this week's exit, has out-performed this season's team.

Quite simply, we must go back to the beginning and that would be the summer of 2016. Italy is in a major tournament under Conte, Pogba is on his 237th hairstyle for Juventus and has just finished his first season with his dab-jesting partner, Paulo #21 Dybala. We all eagerly await the return of Marchisio, our most important midfielder and there are reports that were about to sign Pjanic. What a time to be alive. Dani Alves on a free? Marotta done did it again. Then we sign Higuain and simultaneously sell Pogba, and we don't really know how to react.

I think there are several key components to this season:
-Finally landing a top striker in Higuain
-Abandoning the 3-5-2 (for the most part)
-Pjanic

In the end, we went with a 4-2-3-1 and we destroyed just about everyone we played until Real Madrid. Defensively, this was one of our best teams, particularly in Europe as the only team to hold Barcelona's MSN from scoring throughout two games. Monaco, a GOOD Monaco team, blitzed in the semi-final. We even won our CL group!

Our 4-2-3-1:


Our MVP, Higuain: 24 Serie A goals to help us retain the Scudetto, another 5 Champions League goals.
Dybala, less goals than his first or current season but impressive displays slightly further from goal and in a creative mode to assist Higuain created a wonderful attacking chemistry

Serie A finishes with us on top with 91 points, Roma at 87 and Napoli at 86. One of the most competitive Serie A's in the last decade, until this season of course.

So, in short, this was a very good team. I felt in the summer that we only improved, and in a way I do feel I was right, losing Bonucci did hurt, as any team losing their top or second best CB would and while Dani Alves was dog shit for us, he did have 1-2 good games in the Champions League which were necessary.

This season, its quite easy to see where things went wrong:

-We were hampered by injuries significantly more than last season, nullifying our depth
-We didn't get our rhythm going like we did last season. Maybe we are victims of our own success because we had some complacent matches this season. I can't imagine the first leg of the Real tie happening in the CL knockouts last season (final excluded of course)
-Alex Sandro fell off a cliff
-Dybala, when it counted wasn't there- abysmal in the Champions League for the majority of it
-Given the fall-off of Alex Sandro, lack of play from Mandzukic, our inability to strengthen our midfield beyond signing Matuidi, hurt us dearly

But, the second leg of the Real tie does have positives to draw from. For that, I am happy. If nothing else, our boys went down swinging and swinging hard. Tom would be proud.

Thoughts?

Cuadrado strated brilliantly and got injured for most of the season. Mandzukic was either injured or out of form for most of the season. Sandro has been crap.

That's three rocks of last season that we couldn't depend on for too much of the time.

Costa had a half season adaptation period. Bernardeschi got injured at the wrong time.

The season was too jammy to get the team going and flowing to the best of their potential.

Next season with Costa, Fede and Bentancur more integrated and older I think we'll have better understanding from the beginning.