As the dust settles on an unpredictable final day, we highlight Arsenal’s defensive showings, wonder whether Gareth Bale will still be in north London come next September and assess a handful of attacking dilemmas for the season ahead.

You just can’t trust the final day…
With many mini-leagues still on the line, the fixture list looked to have handed us some strong options heading into yesterday’s matches. Liverpool at home to QPR, Swansea at the Liberty against Fulham and City’s final home game against a Norwich side that had won just once on the road all season – all these games offered huge Fantasy potential. We loaded up on Daniel Sturridge after his hat-trick at the Cottage last time road but Liverpool’s narrow 1-0 win saw the overwhelming Gameweek 38 Captain Poll leader fall flat – a showing that had a major effect on Fantasy fortunes. City had five clean sheets in the last seven at the Etihad but served up a performance that suggested they were already on their summer vacation as the Canaries hit three past Joe Hart. The fact that United racked up five goals in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last match in charge yet failed to pick up a single bonus point in the draw at the Hawthorns sums up just how unpredictable Sunday’s schedule proved to be, with many of the season’s main Fantasy assets stuttering over the finishing line.

Bale deserves the Champions League stage…
Once again, a piece of individual brilliance from Gareth Bale proved the difference for Tottenham as the north London outfit finally found a way past a defiant Simon Mignolet in the Sunderland goal. The Welshman’s outstanding winner may have brought the White Hart Lane crowd to their feet but Arsenal’s win at Newcastle means Andre Villas-Boas’ side stand fifth in the table and out of Champions League contention for another season.

Having moved up another level this term, Bale isn’t short of admirers. Zinedine Zidane – now an advisor at Real Madrid – has already been on the charm offensive, describing the Welshman as “the best player in Europe this season”. Villas-Boas’ decision to move Bale into the centre, unleashing his talents from the role in “the hole” behind a lone forward has helped him deliver 14 sets of double figures in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) , averaging 7.5 points per game to Robin Van Persie’s 6.9. While his manager remains convinced he’s staying put, the rumours are already building, with United linked with a move for Bale’s services – such a scenario would raise questions over his ability to deliver on the same level as this term, though, giving Fantasy managers cause for concern should Bale look to depart the Lane in search of Champions League football. Would we and could we double up on Bale and Van Persie at United?

Arsenal’s defence earned them fourth…
Seven points behind their north London rivals in mid-March, the Gunners looked dead and buried in the race for a Champions League spot. Over the past couple of months, though, an increased resilience at the back has made all the difference to Arsene Wenger’s side – yesterday’s clean sheet at St James’ Park saw them end the season with just five goals conceded in the last 10 Gameweeks.

Wenger’s team is hardly renowned for their ability to keep out opponents yet they ended the 2012/13 campaign with just 37 goals conceded – the second best defensive record in the league, with only 14 goals against on their travels. With the central defensive partnership of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny proving crucial, Thomas Vermaelen now looks a peripheral figure for the north London outfit. Given that there is still some doubt over the first-choice keeper and left-back options, and with rumours of a move away for Bacary Sagna, Mertesacker and Koscielny both look serious considerations for next term already as Wenger’s side look to defence to build upon a run that harvested eight wins and two draws in those last 10 fixtures.

Lukaku leaves a void to fill at the Hawthorns…
Climbing off the bench at the break, Romelu Lukaku needed just 45 minutes to become only the third player in Premier League history to bag a hat-trick against United and deny Sir Alex Ferguson victory in his final match in charge of the champions. The big Belgian now heads back to Stamford Bridge on the back of a season which has saw him firmly establish himself as a genuine Fantasy force, with 17 goals, seven assists and 21 FPL bonus points in his loan spell at the Hawthorns.

While Steve Clarke’s decision to snap up Lukaku in his first season in charge of the midlands outfit was inspired, the Baggies boss now needs to address his problems up front as he looks to push on from an eighth place finish. With Shane Long scoring three times since Gameweek 13, Marc-Antoine Fortune netting twice all season and Peter Odemwingie’s head still stuck in a QPR car park, Clarke’s next move looks crucial – with West Ham and Swansea rumoured to be sniffing around Lukaku, he can only hope his previous ties with Stamford Bridge make a difference. Whether the Blues are willing to farm their barnstorming Belgian out to another club again is another matter entirely – Fantasy managers will sincerely hope that this is the case..

Swansea desperately need a cutting edge….
For all their pretty passing football, Michael Laudrup’s side were undone by the defiant heroics of Mark Schwarzer in the Fulham goal yesterday. An underwhelming end to the season saw the Welsh club create chance after chance against the Cottagers only to be caught out on the counter at the Liberty – while Michu has served the club well with 18 goals in his debut campaign, his manager is more than aware of the need to add firepower over the summer:

“Everybody wants a goalscorer, and they are the most expensive players because they make the difference. We had five or six big chances in half an hour against Fulham. If we had taken one of them I think we would have won the game…I hope we can find some more players who can score goals this summer, but it’s not easy.. I know we did it last year, but you cannot win the lottery every year. Fulham isn’t the first game we’ve had this season where we didn’t win because we didn’t score when we played well. We know it’s an area where we need to improve. We have scored 47 goals in the league this season, but I think we could easily add ten or 12 to that next season. A major part of the goals this season have been scored by one player, and we need to split the responsibility.”

When you consider that Swansea’s next top scorers are Wayne Routledge and Jonathan de Guzman, with five goals apiece, the problem is obvious for Laudrup. Michu has been utilised as a lone forward for most of the last few months but the acquisition of a new striker would allow him to return to the role supporting from midfield areas, timing his runs from deep with better effect. Having scored in just four league matches since the turn of the year, the Swans have become too reliant on his contribution to make the difference – the need for Laudrup to invest up front, helping share the burden, looks key to Swansea’s chances next time out. As for Michu, his decline in 2013 has certainly transformed him from a major consideration for our squads to one that we’ll approach with some caution next term, particularly if Laudrup can found himself another goalscorer.

West Ham have become reliant on Andy Carroll…
Over the last couple of months of the season, the on loan forward has become increasingly influential for Sam Allardyce’s side. Carroll’s campaign was hampered by knee problems but, finally adjusting to his Upton Park surroundings, has returned to the form that made him such a force to be reckoned with at Newcastle. Wreaking havoc as the lone forward in Allardyce’s 4-3-3, Carroll has registered four goals, four assists and six bonus points in his last eight appearances – playing a part in eight of West Ham’s 13 goals over the period. He’s placed himself firmly in the shop window and brought Kevin Nolan back to life as a Fantasy prospect, with the Hammers skipper ending the season with a three-goal haul against relegated Reading.

For now, Carroll will head back to parent club Liverpool but his physical approach will always be at odds with Brendan Rodgers’ patient passing game. His destination looks likely to prove significant for Fantasy managers next term, with the Hammers and Magpies both looking tailor-made for his target-man talents as Carroll looks to seal a permanent deal away from Merseyside.

The Little Pea can still produce when he’s given a stage…
Playing on the shoulder of the final defender at the Hawthorns, Javier Hernandez found the net for the second match in succession with a goal and assist in United’s final match under Sir Alex Ferguson. Once again, Robin Van Perise earned the title as top scoring FPL player for his debut season exploits at Old Trafford but Hernandez’s record suggests he is surely worthy of a regular run of games up top under new boss David Moyes.

From just 953 minutes, Hernandez has returned 10 goals and five assists for the champions – Wayne Rooney has scored 12 times in 2,014 minutes by comparison and with the latter slapping in a transfer request, Moyes looks to have a ready-made solution in place as he assesses his squad over the summer. From a Fantasy perspective, a move for Rooney looks the ideal scenario – not only would this leave us with just the one heavy-hitter up top for United, it could finally see Hernandez stake a claim for our consideration.

Starting this season at 8.0, he cut a peripheral figure and certainly seems unlikely to increase in cost – while Van Persie looks set to possibly edge beyond this term’s 13.0, Hernandez’s mid-price potential would be irresistible if he becomes a regular next time out. Having handed us an out of position present in the form of Marouane Fellaini at Goodison, Moyes has the chance to endear himself to Fantasy managers all over again.