This time last year, the Premier League was gearing up for its biggest season yet. Sure, there was the obvious influx of talented players to England's shores, as there is every year. So what made it so special then
Put simply, the greatest number of world-class managers in the one league that football has ever seen.
Guardiola and Conte ventured into unknown territory after successful careers in Spain, Italy and Germany; Mourinho returned to the competition that he has dominated three times before – but this time in the unusual colour of red; and Wenger, Klopp and Pochettino were preparing for another crack at glory.
But now that the embers of the 2016/17 season have turned to dust and all eyes are focused on the 17/18 campaign, how did the top-six managers fare? What did they do wrong? What did they do right? And what can they do to make sure they're champions next May?
Here are all those answers, team by team, in Tribalfootball's Tactical Review.
2016/17 summary
Arsene Wenger's tactical shift to the Chelsea-inspired 3-4-2-1 is, without doubt, the most dramatic tactical shift of the Frenchman's entire career in north London.
A season of remarkably predictable football in a 4-2-3-1 formation saw them soar in Autumn and collapse in Spring, mostly because their football was too predictable and unwavering; Wenger never changes shape and is the least reactive manager in the Premier League, playing the same system regardless of opposition strengths or flaws.
But the change to a 3-4-2-1 has completely restructured this team.
In their final two matches of the season, Arsenal looked more compressed and cohesive than at any point in the last five years, getting the best out of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil (whose partnership in attacking midfield is flourishing) while adding much-needed stability in defence.
How to improve
Wenger's stubborn refusal to move with the times has held Arsenal back for a decade, and indeed it will continue to do so if he simply plays 3-4-2-1 all season; Conte and Chelsea will adapt, the Premier League will evolve, and Wenger must prove he has learnt from his mistakes by abandoning his new formation when necessary.
In the meantime, the Gunners must adopt a higher pressing game, embracing the most iconic strategy of the Premier League in 2016/17.
Currently, Sanchez is a one-man press, and as a nervy (and under-coached) defence retreat this creates a huge gap between the front and back lines, leaving the central midfielders with an enormous space to cover. They must be bolder in their defensive strategy.
To do so will require signing a new, scurrying forward to help Sanchez.
Arsenal also need a central midfielder with greater athleticism and a left wing-back.
But most of all, Wenger needs to be prepared to adapt more readily, coach tactically throughout the week, and introduce a more modern approach in defence.
It would be a big surprise to see the Frenchman do any of these things.
