Big-name coach departures, big-name coach returns, upsets, retirements, record crowds, epic finals - and the desperate demise of two famous clubs.

And there is still more to come - the Premier 15s is set for a dramatic finish, with the final across the BBC on 24th June.

But in their last episode before a summer break, the Rugby Union Weekly team of former England and Lions player Ugo Monye, the Premiership's record try-scorer Chris Ashton, Harlequins and England scrum-half Danny Care, and BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones, looked back on the season that was, and made some early World Cup predictions.

Best moment of the season?

Danny Care: It is going to have to be this man to my left [the retiring Ashton], who scored the perfect hat-trick to get his 100th Premiership try. I'm very proud of him. He's worked hard, he's been banned a lot, but he's had an incredible career and the game will be a sadder place without him.

Ugo Monye: Some of [Newcastle winger] Matteo Carreras' solo tries were sensational, Owen Farrell's drop-goal against Gloucester was also special, while France against Ireland was an insane game in the Six Nations. A word also for Duhan van der Merwe's try against England.

Chris Jones: The Rugby World Cup final in New Zealand between the Black Ferns and the Red Roses was a special game and special finish. Then at the end of April, 60,000 at Twickenham for the Red Roses. That game and the Champions Cup final were my two favourite memories of the season.

Chris Ashton: The Champions Cup final was great. The atmosphere of it all, and the way the game went with La Rochelle coming from 17-0 down, with Ronan O'Gara as coach.

Worst moment of the season?

Jones: The worst thing - by some distance - was losing two clubs, and it could be three with London Irish on the clock. But I think we will see in the next five years a complete re-assessment of how professional rugby works.

Monye: I would like to see the salary cap change, with your ability to spend money based upon your profitability. Someone like Leicester Tigers, who have the biggest gate in the Premiership, they should be able to spend based upon what they are bringing in. It should be based on what you can afford, with a minimum operating standard. But you still need financial regulation.

Shock of the season?

Jones: Remember those two upsets in the autumn, with Georgia winning in Cardiff and Argentina winning at Twickenham. Two results which had huge repercussions, with Eddie Jones and Wayne Pivac both sacked soon after.

Ashton: On that note, Warren Gatland coming back to Wales [was a shock]. I wonder if he even knew it was coming? It's risky going back in when you've had so much success. What happens if it doesn't end well?

On the pitch v off the pitch…

Care: On the field, the game is still delivering. Off the field the game needs to work out how it can be better run and more sustainable. I think men and women are backing it up on the pitch and trying to produce a great product, but off field it needs some work. But there are exciting times ahead, the World Cup is going to be mega.

Who is winning the World Cup?

Care: It's between France, South Africa and England for me.

Ashton: South Africa are the team to beat.

Monye: I agree, South Africa. Their game has moved on significantly in the last year. However, for the first time New Zealand are going into a World Cup as slight underdogs, which never really happens, and that is dangerous.

Care: Ireland are going to have something to say about this!

Ashton: Ireland gone in the quarters…

Monye: That Leinster defeat has changed how people view Ireland's chances….

Care: We can't just write Ireland off because Leinster lost to La Rochelle by one point! How mad is that?

Jones: Saying Ireland could get knocked out in the quarter-finals is not insulting though. They have a massive World Cup hoodoo to overcome, and they will play New Zealand or France in the last eight, if they even get there, because Scotland will mean business.

Care: England will be in the semi-finals, and then you are just two games away.

Jones: There is a chance there will be a surprise finalist from that side of the draw, because it is very slanted.

And finally… the best podcast guest of the season?

Monye: I loved sitting down with Finn Russell during the Six Nations, and Dan Biggar during the autumn. Having all four directors of rugby in one room before the Premiership semi-finals, chatting to each other and having a laugh, was also excellent.

Care: Who was better out of Finn or Dan?!

Monye: They were different!

The Rugby Football Union has granted a one-week extension to London Irish to complete their takeover.

The Exiles now have until 16:00 BST on Tuesday, 6 June to complete the takeover process or prove they can fund the club's operating costs for the entire 2023-24 season.

If they fail to do so, they risk being suspended from the Premiership.

The update comes after a meeting of the RFU's Club Financial Viability Working Group on Wednesday evening.

Chair of the group and RFU board member Paula Carter said: "It is deeply frustrating for all the staff, players and fans that there have been months of multiple missed deadlines.

"We are extremely disappointed that the club has so far only funded 50% of the staff and player wages, however, we have to respect the wishes of those most affected.

"The 4pm deadline on 6 June is final and we have added the stipulation that the club must also fulfil its contractual obligations to its employees by paying the May salaries in full."

Brad Treliving has been hired as the Toronto Maple Leafs' next general manager, the team announced Wednesday.

The Leafs parted ways with former GM Kyle Dubas earlier this month, opting not to renew his contract when it was set to expire June 30. Dubas has subsequently been tied to the Pittsburgh Penguins' vacant GM slot.

Treliving spent the past nine seasons as GM of the Calgary Flames. Hired in April 2014, Treliving guided the Flames to five postseason appearances, but winning just two rounds in the process. Calgary missed the postseason entirely following the 2021-22 season. With his contract on the verge of expiring on June 30, Treliving mutually parted with the Flames in April.

"Brad brings a wealth of knowledge from his years of experience as a general manager and hockey executive in Calgary, Arizona and beyond. He has earned tremendous respect amongst his peers throughout his years in the NHL and has built excellent relationships at all levels within the game," Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said in a statement. "We are confident that Brad's leadership and strategic vision will elevate the Maple Leafs in our continued pursuit of a championship."

Once Toronto severed ties with Dubas, Treliving's name was almost immediately attached as a possibility to replace him. The Leafs also interviewed former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin for the role. But it was Treliving's experience and success in Calgary that appears to have put him over the top.

Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said after turning away from Dubas -- a first-time GM when he took over the post in 2018 for Toronto -- that a seasoned general manager would be "an attractive quality" in the team's next candidate.

Once's Treliving's officially on the job, his top priority will be tackling Auston Matthews' next contract. Toronto's star center is eligible to sign an extension on July 1, when the final year of his current deal -- and a no-trade clause -- kicks in.

The Leafs are expected to hold a news conference welcoming Treliving to the organization on Thursday.

Either the Vegas Golden Knights or the Florida Panthers will win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history to end this remarkable NHL postseason. But which one of their players will be crowned as the most valuable player?

Welcome to the final Conn Smythe Watch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Keep in mind that in the NHL, the playoff MVP is based on a player's performance during the entire postseason, not just the championship round. The award is voted on by an 18-person panel of Professional Hockey Writers Association members.

We polled a dozen writers, including many who will cover the Stanley Cup Final, to get a sense of which players are leading the way for the Panthers and Knights. Needless to say, it's a razor-thin margin at the top.

Based on the writers' rankings, here are the top 10 candidates for MVP honors:

DUBLIN, Ohio – PGA Tour officials said the overhauled 2024 schedule is “90-plus percent completed” and the lineup will be announced later this summer.

The Tour transitions back to a calendar-year schedule in ’24 and the goal was to create a better cadence to the lineup with the addition of designated events.

“Our objective is, we used 2023 as a transition and we’d announced our schedule in June 2022. Subsequently, we identified we wanted to create designated events so we boxed ourselves in,” said Andy Pazder, the Tour’s chief tournaments and competitions officer. “It created situations in the current season where you have isolated events, tournaments in between designated events which is far from ideal. The process we have gone through leading up to announcing [next year’s] schedule is we now have the ability to put together a flow to the schedule that will not have isolated events.”

According to a “sample” schedule that has been circulated to players and managers, that cadence includes at least two full-field events between designated swings. On that schedule, for example, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, a designated event, is followed by three full-field events – likely the Sony Open, The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open – before the next designated swing (which would be the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational the first two weeks of February).

Pazder said feedback from players indicated they’d prefer to play consecutive weeks which also allowed officials to eliminate the “isolated” weeks like this year’s Honda Classic, which was played between the Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Although Pazder didn’t provide many details, he did confirm the Tour still plans to keep the designated-event fields to 70 to 80 players, but added that there might be some flexibility when it comes to cuts at the elevated events. Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said earlier this month the plan is to not have cuts at the designated events, but Tiger Woods pushed back when asked about not having a cut at the Genesis Invitational, which he hosts.

“We are having a further conversation about that. I’m aware that certain hosts of designated events have voiced the viewpoint that they’d like to see a cut at their event or some of the designated events,” Pazder said. “We’ve announced that they would be no-cut events but that’s something that if there’s support for a change there, could be that it’s some of the designated events, all of the designated events or none of the designated events [have a cut], we’ll have a conversation around that.”

Pazder also said the Tour is “fully sponsored” for next year even though Honda ended its title sponsorship of the event in West Palm Beach, Florida, this year. He said the Tour has a “number of prospects” and there would be a replacement named for the South Florida tournament “eventually.”

On the “sample” schedule, the Tour seems to be considering a date change for the Memorial to the week before the U.S. Open, which would create a three-tournament, designated-event swing with the Travelers Championship played after the U.S. Open. Pazder declined to give specific dates for tournaments on next year’s schedule.

Beth Mead has not recovered from injury to make the England squad for the Women's World Cup as head coach Sarina Wiegman named her 23-player squad on Wednesday.

Mead, who was named Euro 2022 Player of the Tournament, suffered an ACL injury when playing for Arsenal in December. Wiegman had previously said it would take a "miracle" for her to recover in time for this summer's tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

There is also no place for defender Steph Houghton, but Millie Bright is included as she continues to recover from a knee injury and will captain the team in the absence of Leah Williamson.

"I haven't told her she will be the captain -- that is how we have been all the time," Wiegman told a news conference. "We have just talked about football. She was selected and where she is at right now. We haven't really spoken about that yet."

Forward Beth England is also named in the squad after impressing for Tottenham this season following her Women's Super League-record move from Chelsea last summer.

Elsewhere, Jordan Nobbs is included as are Esme Morgan, Laura Coombs, Katie Zelem, Katie Robinson and England.

Maya Le Tissier, who has drawn praise for her maturity this season, missed out on the final squad, although has been listed as a stand-by with Jessica Park and goalkeeper, Emily Ramsey.

"She is really close, she will train with the team. That was a hard call, like all the defenders we had to think about and she didn't get there with the 23," Wiegman said when asked about Le Tissier.

"We also see her more as a right back, at club she plays as a centre back, she has had a very good season but this is the choice we made."

England are looking to add to their trophy haul under Wiegman after winning last summer's Euro 2022 and the inaugural Women's Finalissima in April.

Wiegman also said it was disappointing that the women were limited to 23-player squads, while the men had 26 for their World Cup in Qatar last year.

"We wanted to bring it to 26," Wiegman added. "I don't think having 26 makes the injury risk lower, [but] I think you then have more options when something happens and you can keep someone in the squad and give more rest.

"The congested schedule, we all know when we move forward we have to do a better job all together to make it better in all stages and get better scheduling for the players."

The Women's World Cup begins on July 20, with England beginning their tournament against Group D opponents Haiti on July 22. They then face Denmark on July 28 and China on Aug. 1 in their final group stage games.

The final is scheduled for Aug. 20 in Sydney.

Full 23-player England squad

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City).

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona) Katie Zelem (Manchester united).

Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Bethany England (Tottenham Hotspur), Lauren Hemp (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Alessia Russo (Manchester United), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion).

Standby: Emily Ramsey (Everton), Maya Le Tissier (Manchester United) and Jessica Park (Everton).

Harry Maguire will hold talks with Erik ten Hag to discuss his Manchester United future after the end of the season, sources have told ESPN.

Maguire has endured a frustrating campaign at Old Trafford, making just 16 starts in all competitions and only eight in the Premier League.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

After falling behind Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane in the pecking order at centre-back, Maguire is set to evaluate his options before making a decision about where to play next season.

Sources have told ESPN that United are willing to listen to offers for the 30-year-old and anticipate interest from West Ham United, who made an enquiry about his availability during the January transfer window.

Ten Hag, according to sources, is open to keeping Maguire as part of his squad but understands the England defender might seek a move away to find more regular games.

Maguire has been named in the England squad for fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia in June, but when asked about his lack of game time at United, manager Gareth Southgate said pointedly that "it's not a situation that can continue forever."

Maguire has a contract at Old Trafford until 2025 plus the option of another year, and United will be looking for a sizable fee for a player signed for £80 million from Leicester City in 2019.

Sources have told ESPN that even if Maguire departs, signing another defender this summer is not high on United's list of priorities.

Ten Hag has a long-standing interest in Ajax's Jurrien Timber, who can play at right-back and centre-back, but feels that other areas of the squad are in need of strengthening first.

As well as Martinez and Varane, he also has Victor Lindelof, and Luke Shaw has filled in well at centre-back when Martinez has been unavailable.

Eric Bailly is set to leave after spending last season on loan at Marseille, and Axel Tuanzebe will leave on a free transfer when his contract expires on June 30.

Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker once famously said, "Football is a simple game: Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes, and at the end, the Germans always win." That isn't particularly true at the international level anymore -- Germany hasn't made it to even the quarterfinals in its past three major tournaments -- but a version of it remains true within Germany.

The Bundesliga continues to be an incredibly fun and entertaining league, with lots of goals, huge and boisterous crowds (bigger, on average, than those in the Premier League), and plenty of plot twists and down-to-the-wire races when it comes to top-four finishes or relegation. And at the end, Bayern always wins.

Bayern Munich took its 11th straight Bundesliga crown on Saturday with a down-to-the-wire 2-1 win in Koln, but the outcome was the only normal thing about the race itself. Bayern and Borussia Dortmund took turns stumbling to the finish line, and BVB came into the final matchday needing only a home win over Mainz to end Bayern's streak and take its first title since 2012. But Mainz took an early 2-0 lead, and while Dortmund was able to come back and secure a draw, it wasn't enough. Bayern tied Dortmund on points and beat Dortmund on goal differential.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

The Bundesliga's final matchday was an absolute roller coaster, with every match mattering in one race or another and a number of them involving late plot twists. And while it happened in wild and unexpected fashion, Bayern's title meant that four of Europe's Big Five leagues saw extremely familiar title champions. Bayern has indeed won every Bundesliga since 2012, Manchester City won its fifth Premier League title in six years, Paris Saint-Germain won its ninth Ligue 11 in 11 years, and while Barcelona won its first LaLiga title in four years, the idea of a Barcelona title is never going to feel particularly unfamiliar.

Only Napoli's Serie A win was particularly surprising at the end of the day, but the journeys each of these five teams took to their respective titles were still awfully intriguing and worth reflecting on.

Here are five defining moments that helped decide each Big Five race.

How Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga

Aug. 20: Werder Bremen 3-2 Borussia Dortmund

It's hard to talk about this title race without focusing primarily on BVB's blown opportunities. Bayern finished with its worst league point total in 14 seasons, all but begging someone to overtake it. Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn and director of football Hasan Salihamidzic were sacked following such a shaky run, and it's not hard to see why. Borussia Dortmund needed just one more point to put Bayern out of its misery, but that point never came.

This match was one of a couple of spectacular blown chances. BVB led recently promoted Bremen 2-0 at home with 88 minutes gone but allowed three goals in six minutes and suffered a shell-shocked defeat.

It was the start of a particularly fragile run for the Schwarzgelben: Over the next 13 matches, they would manage just 19 points. They lost their last two before the World Cup break and found themselves nine points back of Bayern in sixth place. Only a last-second goal and home draw against Bayern kept it from being even worse.

October-November: Bayern pounds six opponents by a combined 24-5

The Bavarians endured their own shaky run early on, going winless in a four-match string and blowing a late lead in Dortmund. But in the weeks leading up to the World Cup, the champs were absolutely spectacular. They hung five goals on stingy Freiburg and six on both Mainz and Werder Bremen, winning six in a row to surge to the top of the table at the break.

Eric Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry each scored six goals in this run, and newcomer Sadio Mane began to find strong form too, scoring twice with three assists. Combined with its typically impeccable Champions League form -- Bayern won all six of its group stage matches, winning four matches against Inter Milan and Barcelona by a combined 9-0 -- it appeared all was once again right in Bavaria.

Per FiveThirtyEight's SPI ratings, Bayern entered the break with a 93% chance of winning the Bundesliga and a 24% chance of winning the Champions League, the highest of anyone.

April 1: Bayern 4, Borussia Dortmund 2

Bayern was a bit fortunate when it came to injuries and health in Dortmund. When BVB newcomers Karim Adeyemi and Sebastien Haller both played, the team averaged 2.54 points per game, a pace that would have easily won the league. But they only both played in 13 of 34 matches. Haller missed the entire first half of the season while being treating for testicular cancer, and when he returned, BVB found fifth gear only for Adeyemi to get hurt and miss time instead.

Spurred by Haller's return, though, BVB came out of the World Cup break in spectacular form, winning its first eight league matches of 2023 by a combined 22-7. Bayern stumbled a bit too, and by March 1, the teams were tied at 46 points. When Bayern hosted BVB on April 1, it had just panic-fired manager Julian Nagelsmann in favor of Thomas Tuchel.

The champs were as vulnerable as they could possibly be, but an early howler from BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel prompted an easy Bayern win and gave it the league lead once more.

April 15: Stuttgart 3, Borussia Dortmund 3

It's hard to top the agony of allowing three goals in six minutes, as BVB did against Bremen early in the year, but this one came close. With Bayern stumbling in the aftermath of their head-to-head win, Dortmund once again had an opportunity to seize control and took an easy 2-0 lead over Stuttgart, which also lost a man to a first-half red card.

Stuttgart scored twice in five minutes to shockingly tie, but Giovanni Reyna's goal in the second minute of stoppage time appeared to save the day for BVB ... nope! Silas Katompa Mvumpa scored in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and Borussia dropped two unforgivable points.

May 27: Jamal Musiala happens

Somehow, the race still wasn't over. Bayern allowed a late goal in a draw to Hoffenheim and turned 1-0 leads into shocking 3-1 losses against both Mainz and RB Leipzig down the stretch. To win the title, Bayern needed a win over Koln and needed BVB to drop points against Mainz. Bayern got both ... eventually. Up 1-0 in the 80th minute, Bayern handed Koln a penalty when Gnabry handled the ball in Bayern's box. Dejan Ljubicic converted, and it looked like Koln had saved Dortmund's party.

Jamal Musiala, Bayern's youngest starter and steadiest player, had other ideas.

JAMAL MUSIALA SCORES AND BAYERN ARE BACK ON TOP OF THE LEAGUE ? pic.twitter.com/rDEE8ksIEt

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 27, 2023

The 20-year old's masterful strike gave Bayern the lead, and for once, Bayern wouldn't relinquish it.

How Napoli won Serie A

July: Napoli signs Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kim Min-jae

After a run of bridesmaid finishes during Juventus' nine-year title run -- Napoli finished either second or third six times in the seven seasons from 2012-13 to 2018-19 -- the Azzurri had fallen to seventh in 2019-20 before renewal began. They took a big swing in signing Lille's Victor Osimhen for a club-record €70 million in the summer of 2020, and they had already brought aboard soon-to-be regulars in fullback Giovanni Di Lorenzo, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, center back Amir Rrahmani and goalkeeper Alex Meret the year before.

Midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa joined in 2021 too, first via loan then via permanent transfer. That was enough to bring Napoli back to the Champions League via third-place finish in 2021-22.

A nearly perfect summer, however, boosted Napoli into the stratosphere. Anguissa indeed signed full time, as did a useful left back (Mathias Olivera), but Napoli also signed what turned out to be one of Europe's best defenders (Kim, from Fenerbahce) and most creative attackers (Kvaratskhelia, from Dinamo Batumi) for under €30m combined. Kvaratskhelia has contributed 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, and Kim turned in a brilliant performance in replacing Chelsea-bound Kalidou Koulibaly in front of Meret.

Koulibaly was a stalwart in Napoli's defense for nearly a decade, and yet it is on pace to allow its fewest league goals since 2006 without him.

Sept. 18: Napoli 2, Milan 1

Osimhen has been incredible this season, scoring 28 goals with four assists in 37 total matches. He had a hat trick in a 4-0 win over Sassuolo in October, a brace in a huge 5-1 win over Juventus in January and three of Napoli's five goals in its Champions League round-of-16 romp over Eintracht Frankfurt. But Napoli's first defining league win of the season came without him.

Napoli had begun the season by beating Hellas Verona and Monza by a combined 9-2, and its 4-1 destruction of Liverpool on Sept. 7 certainly sent a message. But with Osimhen on the bench with a bicep injury and Kvaratskhelia mostly neutralized (one shot attempt, no chances created), and with defending Scudetto winner Milan on the front foot throughout (Milan attempted 22 shots worth 2.7 xG, and Meret made four humongous saves), Napoli got a penalty from Matteo Politano in the 55th minute and a gorgeous, glancing header from Giovanni Simeone in the 78th to manufacture an unlikely win in San Siro.

The teams had entered the match tied atop the table; Milan wouldn't draw even again. (Of course, Milan would get its revenge in the Champions League.)

Jan. 13: Napoli 5, Juventus 1

Napoli took an eight-point lead into the World Cup break and had suffered only one defeat in all competitions -- a meaningless matchday six loss to Liverpool in the Champions League group stage. Per SPI, its odds of winning the Scudetto were up to 68%, but we didn't yet know how Napoli would respond to adversity.

... and then we found that out in January. After its first league loss of the year (1-0 to Inter on Jan. 4), Napoli ripped off eight straight wins by a combined 21-2, with the blowout of Juve easily the most impressive of the bunch.

- Marcotti: Why Napoli's first title since 1989-90 meant so much

First, Osimhen scored off of a rebounded rocket from Kvaratskhelia. Then Kvaratskhelia scored via Osimhen assist. Juve made it 2-1 at halftime, but Kvaratskhelia assisted a Rrahmani goal on a corner and set up an Osimhen header to put the match away in the 65th minute. Eljif Elmas poured salt on the wound with a transition goal in the 72nd.

March-April: Inter takes one point from five league matches

Despite its success in UEFA competitions, Serie A only boasts two teams in the top 30 of the SPI ratings: Napoli and Inter. Inter has obviously proved its high ceiling in Champions League play, but a run at a second league title in three years never really got off the ground. Inter dropped four of its first eight matches, and while it had climbed back into second place by late February, any hopes of a spring rally died when its finishing left.

Inter suffered three 1-0 defeats (including one to relegation-threatened Spezia), a 2-1 loss and a 1-1 draw to Salernitana, and Napoli was able to cruise to the title despite downshifting and suffering some late blemishes.

April 23: Napoli 1, Juventus 0

The finishing touches. It was going to take a miracle for either Lazio (14 points back) or Juve (16, before its point deduction was reinstated) to steal Napoli's title, and it became almost mathematically impossible after reserve Giacomo Raspadori knocked a low thudder past Wojciech Szczesny in the third minute of stoppage time.

How Barcelona won La Liga

November 2021: Xavi comes home

On one hand, it felt like a familiar act of desperation: When your club has lost its way, you bring in someone from your last golden era, whether he is qualified for the job or not. Having lost Lionel Messi months before, Barcelona had begun the 2021-22 season in dire form under Ronald Koeman; it was tied with derby rival Espanyol in ninth place when Barcelona brought in Xavi, its famed former midfielder, to lead the way. His only managerial experience to date had come with Qatar's Al Sadd.

This was quite a step up, but as it turns out, he was the right person for the job.

Barca lost to Real Betis in early December then went 15 matches unbeaten, taking down Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid by a combined 8-2 in the process. Barca suffered some bumps late in the season, but youngsters like midfielders Pedri and Gavi were thriving alongside veterans like Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and even with a questionable financial situation, it's fair to once again consider Barca a league co-favorite heading into 2022-23.

July 2022: Barcelona signs Jules Kounde (among others)

Despite a bright, young roster, Barca went all-in on 2022-23, triggering a series of "financial levers" and leveraging future revenue in the name of acquiring win-now talent. It was downright irresponsible, frankly, and it did not produce the level of European success club president Joan Laporta had imagined: Barca was knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage for the second straight year then quickly crashed out of the Europa League, as well.

- O'Hanlon: What if Barcelona had made zero signings? (E+)

Any hope of recouping expenses on the sport's biggest stage died quickly, but still, at least a couple of new additions reaped immediate dividends domestically.

Former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, for instance, provided an immediate goal-scoring punch, but Barca won this league title with defense. It allowed just 13 goals in its first 34 matches, thanks not only to stellar goalkeeping from Marc-Andre ter Stegen but also to conservative tactics and excellent back-line play from center back Ronald Araujo and fullbacks Alejandro Balde (another thrilling youngster) and Kounde, who came over from Sevilla in late July.

Kounde ended up playing more right back than center, which evidently wasn't his preference, but there's no question that it worked pretty well.

August-September: Robert Lewandowski scores a lot

It speaks to the 34-year-old's dominance that he has scored 33 goals with seven assists in all competitions, and the overall reaction has basically been, He's had a pretty decent year.

- Marsden: How Barcelona won LaLiga amid crippling financial issues

He battled a finishing funk in the new year, scoring in just one of eight matches from late February to late April, but his early-season prowess got Barca off to a bright start. He scored nine goals in a five-match winning streak, and despite a 3-1 loss to defending champ Real Madrid on Oct. 16, Barca held a five-point lead atop the table when the World Cup break arrived.

January-February: Marc-Andre ter Stegen makes 16 saves and allows one goal.

Barcelona has had the best defense in La Liga: first in goals and xG allowed, first in shots allowed per possession, sixth in xG allowed per shot. That particular level of defensive prowess is unsustainable -- opponents attempted shots worth 28.9 xG in the first 34 league matches but turned that into under half as many goals -- and we've already seen some regression in the past two matches.

There's no denying, however, that ter Stegen has played the season of his life. His save percentage was 73.4% in league play from 2015-16 to 2021-22, but it was at 84.5% when Barca clinched LaLiga.

His absolute heater in early 2023 allowed Barcelona to win seven league matches in a row while scoring only 11 goals: it has won eight matches by 1-0 scores since the start of the new year.

March 19: Barcelona 2, Real Madrid 1

Barca's lead was nine points with 13 matches to go when its ultimate rival came to Camp Nou. An early Araujo own goal dug Barca a hole, but two goals from unlikely sources -- fullback Sergi Roberto and, in second-half stoppage time, midfielder Franck Kessie -- gave them a comeback win and all but locked up the title.

For good measure, this was the first of four Real Madrid losses in an eight-match span, as the Blancos shifted their focus to the Champions League. That allowed Barca to wrap things up even quicker.

How Manchester City won the Premier League

July 2016: City hires Pep Guardiola

(OK, bear with me here.) The Abu Dhabi United Group's takeover of Manchester City FC had already reaped dividends before the best manager in the world came to town. City had already won its first top-division title in 44 years in 2011-12, following it up with a smash-and-grab title two years later when Liverpool collapsed down the stretch.

Top-four finishes were the norm, and the acquisition had already changed the English landscape. City became an absolute dynasty, however, when Guardiola moved from Munich to Manchester.

After finishing third in his transition-year debut, the Sky Blues have finished first, first, second, first, first and first. Premier League champions averaged 86.8 points with a +51.1 goal differential in the 10 years before Guardiola arrived; City has averaged 93.0 and +67.4, respectively, in Guardiola's five title seasons. The league might be catching up a bit (City has averaged 89.0 points in its past three seasons), but only a bit.

July 2022: Erling Haaland moves to Manchester

While a number of Premier League teams spent drastically more in transfer fees than what they brought in, City basically engineered a trade of sorts last summer, sending out Raheem Sterling (to Chelsea for €56m) and Gabriel Jesus (to Arsenal for €52m) and bringing in the 22-year-old Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for €60m.

Having such a singular focal point in attack certainly went against some of Guardiola's stylistic principles, but considering Haaland has scored 52 goals in all competitions and that City is two wins away from England's second treble ever, it's safe to say City figured things out.

August-September: Liverpool wins two of its first 10 matches

Jurgen Klopp's Reds have easily been the biggest thorn in City's side of late. They won the 2020 title and forced City to play nearly perfect ball down the stretch to win in 2019 and 2022. When the season began, SPI gave City a 46% chance of winning the league, but Liverpool wasn't too far behind at 30%.

However, the Reds never got off the ground in 2022-23. Despite signing a sparkly new goal scorer of their own over the summer in Darwin Nunez, they suffered a run of draws and a 2-1 loss to Manchester United to start the season; and after a 3-2 loss to Arsenal on Oct. 9 -- giving up multiple goals was a major, recurring issue -- they found themselves in 10th place, 13 behind City.

Liverpool would rebound a few times, but every rebound was followed by another funk (one point from four matches in January and February, two from four in March and April), and despite finishing the season on a nine-game unbeaten run, it fell just short of the top four. Liverpool will miss the Champions League next fall for the first time since 2016-17.

April: Arsenal blows back-to-back 2-0 leads

As it turned out, it wasn't Liverpool that provided City's biggest challenge; it was Arsenal, led by former Guardiola assistant Mikel Arteta. The Gunners hadn't finished in the top four since 2016, and they suffered a late fade to finish fifth last season.

They began the season with a 2% title chance, per SPI. At the World Cup break, Arsenal's title odds were up to 36%. And on April 1, they were at 51% following wins by a combined 11-1 over Fulham, Crystal Palace and Leeds United.

Arsenal had endured a poor February run (one point in three matches) and stood in first place, in control of its destiny. Then it watched a 2-0 lead after 28 minutes turn into a 2-2 draw at Liverpool. Arsenal went up 2-0 in 10 minutes at West Ham and suffered another draw. It had to score twice late to salvage a 3-3 draw at lowly Southampton, as well.

As one would expect by this point, City found fifth gear in this span. Following a frustrating 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, City won its next seven matches by a combined 18-4. City's title odds were up to 65% when Arsenal visited the Emirates on April 26. Arsenal needed a miracle.

April 26: Manchester City 4, Arsenal 1

No miracles here. Kevin De Bruyne scored in the seventh minute, and John Stones put City up 2-0 at halftime. The match was well in hand when Rob Holding scored a late consolation goal for the Gunners. Arsenal was undeniably a pleasant surprise this season, but it didn't have the staying power to stick with City. No one does.

How Paris Saint-Germain won Ligue 1

March 2012: Qatar Sports Investments becomes PSG's sole owner

It seems a bit cynical to suggest that the French title for 2022-23 was secured in 2012, but is it wrong? Of course not. PSG had won two Ligue 1 titles in its history before 2012, and it has won nine of 11 since, plus 21 other domestic trophies (six Coupe de France wins, six Coupe de la Ligue, nine Trophee des Champions). PSG has overwhelmed its league with pure cash.

Of the 22 largest transfer fees ever paid by a French club, 18 have been paid by PSG, 16 of those since 2012. The club shelled out a combined €400m for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe back in 2017 and 2018; the top 12 transfer fees spent by all French clubs not named PSG went for a combined €385.3m. (Seven of those 12 purchases came from Monaco, by the way.)

And these are just transfer fees; they don't take into account things like Leo Messi coming over on a free transfer but taking a salary of €35m per year. QSI money hasn't been able to buy a Champions League title, and PSG has somehow seemed as far away from that as ever since Messi arrived, but it removed about 90% of the suspense from domestic competitions.

May 2022: Kylian Mbappe re-signs

It was the biggest upset PSG has pulled in the QSI era, and it didn't come on the pitch. For months, it seemed to most that Mbappe would likely be leaving for Real Madrid, his supposed dream club, when his contract expired in July. Real Madrid certainly seemed to think it was going to happen. Instead, he signed a new deal to remain in Paris with new financial terms and, supposedly, a bit more influence behind the scenes at the club.

- Why Mbappe committed to PSG over Real Madrid

Combined with some rejuvenation efforts in midfield -- players like Angel De Maria (34 years old), Ander Herrera (33), Idrissa Gueye (32), Rafinha (29) and Julian Draxler (28) left, replaced by Vitinha (22), Nuno Mendes (20), Fabian Ruiz (26), Carlos Soler (25) and Renato Sanches (24) -- it felt like a bit of a new day in Paris when the season began. That feeling certainly continued as PSG outscored its first six league opponents by a combined 24-4.

October: Marseille loses three in a row

After a second-place finish last season, Marseille tried its best to take a swing at the champs, spending €115m in transfer fees to bring in players like Braga's Vitinha and Arsenal's Matteo Guendouzi. Marseille pulled 23 of 27 points from its first nine matches too, doing its best to keep up with PSG. But Marseille's margin for error completely disappeared in October, when it lost 2-1 to AC Ajaccio then suffered 1-0 defeats to both PSG and its biggest competition for second place, Lens. Marseille drew with Strasbourg too, meaning it was suddenly 11 points back and in fifth place at the start of November.

Over the past 23 matchdays, Marseille has equaled PSG's 49 points, but OM was never able to make up for the damage done in October.

January-February: Lens follows a 3-1 win over PSG with one win in six

PSG's biggest challenge came not from Marseille or Monaco or Lyon or 2021 champion Lille; it came instead from a Lens team promoted from the second division just a couple of years ago. Under third-year manager Franck Haise, Les Sang et Or lost only one of their first 20 league matches and rode goals from Lois Openda and Alexis Claude-Maurice to beat PSG on Jan. 1, moving within four points of the top of the table.

After a peak, however, usually comes a valley. Draws with Strasbourg, Troyes and Brest and tight losses to Nice and Lyon meant that Lens earned just six points in a six-match span. Even with PSG far from fifth gear, the lead over Lens expanded back to eight points. Lens has lost only once since, but that was too large a gap to overcome.

April 15: PSG 3, Lens 1

Lens' lone loss of late was the proverbial six-pointer. Back to within six points of PSG, Lens needed to spring an upset at the Parc des Princes to make things interesting down the stretch. Instead, Abdul Samed got a red card in the 19th minute, and PSG scored three goals in 10 minutes (one from Mbappe, one from Vitinha, one from Messi) to put away an easy win.

Lens kept winning after that, but the opportunity was gone.