With the traditional full slate of Sunday afternoon fixtures upon us to close out the Barclays Premier League season, below are some of the subplots, the starring characters who shaped and formed BPL season 2012-13. All this for a league regarded to be the global reference point when it comes to domestic league play. Au Revoir Bobby & Ballo - Just after Balotelli announced at last summers EURO 2012 his true talent, especially so as he set about tearing to shreds a highly regarded German defence, his inability early in the season to reign in his misbehaving ways finally caught up with him. Mancini who stands accused of disloyalty as he entertained Monaco last spring remained staunchly loyal to his protégé throughout. Now back in a more natural environment, Balotelli has excelled in the jersey of the Associazione Calcio Milan and played a prominent role to diffuse the angry racial hatred that led to a halt in play at last weekends game against Roma. Mancini will be missed. Especially so from the media corps who he always entertained as he willingly provided them with sound bites and headlines one normally associates with a chap who goes by the name of José Mário dos Santos Mourinho. Bounce-back ability - Not easy losing one of world footballs elite in the pre-season, especially so when that player ends up wearing the jersey of your biggest rivals for the title after contributing 30 goals to the Arsenal cause in his final season. Wenger has been used to shedding high grade talent and replacing it with the young and raw who go on and make a good account of themselves in terms of Champions League qualification. This time though it seemed different. As last August the Emirates door slapped RVP on the backside on his way out the egg timer on Wengers Arsenal career would follow at seasons end. The clubs early season form hardly set the Arsenal faithful alight. Instead in a very hostile way they very publically questioned if Wenger knew what he was doing - the low point came during the fifth round FA Cup defeat to Blackburn at the Emirates in late February. Since then though a full on renaissance has swept through the fabled Arsenal corridors as they now sit on the verge of claiming Champions League football once more. How Wenger must be relishing a Ferguson free season. Brendan Rodgers v Michael Laudrup - For every Brendan Rodgers sound bite where for most part of this season be obsessively requested more time for him and his football philosophy to bed in at Anfield I present to you as a counter argument Michael Laudrup. Many players followed Rodgers out of the Liberty Stadium gates for pastures new last summer. Including Welsh player of the year Joe Allen who joined Rodgers at Anfield and yet we didnt once hear Laudrup utter excuses his new look team needed time to gel when his players failed to deliver the goods. Yet with a playing squad of three times the value it was Rodgers who obsessively pressed the need more time panic chord. Back on the opening day of the season as Swansea set about QPR in west London scoring five Liverpool toiled in the Hawthorns heat as West Brom ran up the score. Some of the first words out of Rodgers mouth post match regarded his irritation with some of the referees decisions. As BPL games came and went the why always us mantra became a Rogers theme for the entire season. As Laudrup takes responsibility Rodgers style demands he apportions all blame with others. Not quite sure theyd be the ingredients to even win a lowly League Cup. Keystone Cops Chelsea Rafalution - The BPL does not ever fail to provide unscripted plot lines which on the surface seem more in keeping with the performance of headliners at a Just For Laughs comedy festival than what we would normally associate with the upper echelons of world football. Taking the starring role this season were Chelsea where seemingly a pre-requisite for silverware isnt determined by a winning mentality but firing the manager before Christmas and installing a caretaker manager to close out the season. The appointment of Benitez was mocked and ridiculed from its inception especially so from the clubs supporters who refused to acknowledge the Spaniard let alone accept him. Fortunately their disappointment was the exclusive domain of non-aggressive banter in the verbal forms. The moralists were outraged. As outsiders who likely have not once stepped foot in London let alone Stamford Bridge SW6 it wasnt any of their business. However, even with ample chin A Fat Spanish Waiter Benitez is not. A football pragmatist - who apart from 1 post match outburst where he blamed the Chelsea hierarchy and the official CFC kitchen sink for the ill filling towards him he took all the abuse in his considerable stride. With Champions League football secured last Saturday, Benitez quickly followed that up in midweek with yet another UEFA title. Lets just hope Benitez is afforded a rightful ovation when the curtain falls on his Chelsea reign tomorrow afternoon. Not many other managers can claim to have won European silverware with both Liverpool and Chelsea. The sniggers now silenced - he who laughs last laughs loudest applies in SW6 tomorrow afternoon. Greatness - Having been announced on Friday as the recipient of the 2012/