Football: A season of significance

This week's appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager of Chelsea concludes the last outstanding piece of business from a 2012/13 season which may not have ended in as dramatic a fashion as its 2011/12 predecessor, but may turn out to be one of the most significant in the Premier League Era. The effects of a season that saw three of the top four clubs change manager and two first time winners for the major cups will only be apparent in the long run, but for the first time in a long time, there will be a different feel to the top flight in 2013/14.

With Mourinho returning to Chelsea, Manchester City firing Roberto Mancini and the retirement of Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Arsène Wenger is the only top four manager left standing, an unprecedented turnover in the Premiership era, with four clubs able to qualify for the Champions League. It shows that qualification is no longer enough for these teams' owners. They want titles and European Cups and will not persevere with managers who cannot deliver.

Nonetheless, City should be mindful of Chelsea's example, sacking Carlo Ancelotti only a year after winning the league, leading to a period of managerial instability throughout which they have failed to challenge for the title. Then again, they have won the Champions and Europa Leagues in that time, so Roman Abramovich would probably argue that his move worked. United meanwhile, face the question that follows great coaches in every sport: can they succeed without Ferguson, or is this the beginning of the end of their dominance?

Arsenal's slow decline as a title challenger has led to rumblings of discontent, but Wenger's side has qualified for the Champions League for 16 consecutive seasons while remaining financially secure. With DavidMoyes and Manuel Pellegrini, two managers without a major trophy between them (though Pellegrini has won titles in Ecuador and Argentina), replacing Ferguson and Mancini, Wenger's experience is more valuable now than at any time in the eight years since their last trophy. It is a stretch to say that Arsenal can profit from this upheaval by winning the league, but it may open the door for their best season for some time.

Given the strength of the squad, his track record and experience, Mourinho has a great opportunity to return the title to Stanford Bridge. But he inherits a team that is much changed since his 2007 departure and he and his squad will need to adapt quickly if they are to succeed.

For Tottenham Hotspur, history repeated itself, the third time in three years and the fifth in eight that they have narrowly missed out on the Champions League. But even here, it was an unusual season; Spurs finished with their highest points total in 33 years, 72 points would have qualified them for a fourth placed finish in all bar two of the Premier League's 20 seasons.

Missing out again is frustrating for the team and the fans and may set the club back if they can't keep their players or recruit successfully, but a performance like that in Andre Villas Boas' first season offers encouragement. The key for Villas Boas, as for many of his predecessors, is consistency against weaker opponents after the hard work has been done by beating the stronger ones. The failure to beat Wigan, six days after a thrilling victory over Manchester City kept the race for fourth alive, was eventually what cost his team.

In the cups, the abnormality continued. Wigan's stunning win over City was dramatic, perhaps the biggest upset since Wimbledon's defeat of Liverpool in 1988, but the shine was taken off it by their unique place in history as the only cup winners to be relegated in the same season. It should have been the club's greatest moment, and maybe it still is, but if they cannot bounce back promptly, the memory will remain permanently tinged with sadness.

Swansea's victory in the league cup was another triumph for a first time major trophy winner and rewarded the club's commitment to good football and smart business. The beaten finalists, Bradford, were themselves a great story, coming from League 2. It was a remarkably good year all-round for Welsh football, with Cardiff joining Swansea in the top flight and Newport County promoted to the Football League. With German teams contesting the Champions League final, there was a fresh and unfamiliar look to all of the season's major events.

Whether this is the beginning of an era of greater competition and change, or whether it is simply a shift in generations remains to be seen. The Premiership race may not have been as dramatic as a year ago, but 2012/13 should be marked as a noteworthy season whose effects will be with us for a long time.