And so we are finally done with the Premier League. A lot of interesting takeaways from this season. Liverpool walked away with their first championship since the competition was renamed solidifying Jurgen Klopp as a legendary manager. They were just 1 point shy of tying Manchester City’s record for most points in a season. Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne equaled Thierry Henry’s record for most assists in a season (20). Manchester United were struggling initially but since the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, the team showed impeccable strength moving all the way up to 3rd place. Tottenham barely edged into the top 6 with a 3-point goal difference advantage over Wolves. Jack Grealish saved Aston Villa from relegation, with a tie against West Ham. A lot of incredible results and it couldn’t have been possible without some equally adept players. Here is the team of the season.
GK: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester CIty)
Despite Leicester City falling down all the way to 5th towards the finale of the league, Schmeichel truly made his presence felt. His reflexes were incredible. He was athletic with an immense amount of stopping power, often showcased by multiple saves throughout the season, even in the losses. He managed 13 Clean sheets in a very turbulent season along with a whopping 97 saves. Nothing short of impressive even considering his well-regarded reputation.
LB: Andy Robertson ( Liverpool)
Liverpool’s landslide victory naturally means a few additions from the Reds. Andy Robertson was incredible last year and seems to have improved even further this year. He was a master of his domain in the left position, showcasing great bouts of agility, pace and dribbling. His crossing was as strong as ever and he was no slouch in defence either. Robertson managed an impressive 12 assists (3rd highest), 1.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game. He also managed 1.7 key passes throughout the season.
CB: Lewis Dunk (Brighton)
Even when the going got tough Lewis Dunk was a standout. He was strong on both defense and offence despite his role. He was tough in the air and managed 6 goal contributions. Dunk had 1.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game and was always an aggressive force who knew when to utilize the aggression.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk ( Liverpool)
The most recent PFA winner is a strong candidate for the year’s award as well. Van Dijk was crucial to Liverpool’s domineering performance in the league. He proved to be an absolute brick wall in defence. His tackling and positioning were extremely strong and further complemented by his towering figure and pace. His abilities also helped in defence. He averaged 4 clearances with 1.1 tackles and interceptions and even got ended up with 7 goal contributions including 5 goals.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Despite this team swaying heavily to the red, Trent Alexander-Arnold was almost guaranteed to make the list. The 21-year old is arguably the best young player in the league and one of, if not, the best fullback in the world and he practically cemented it this season. He was 2nd on the assists column with 13. He has showcased incredible speed and pinpoint passing and was just as adept in defence with 1.4 tackles per game. He also had 2.3 key passes per game and 4 goals.
CM: Jack Grealish ( Aston Villa)
He was arguably the best player in the bottom half teams of the Premier League and Aston Villa owe their safety from relegation to this 24-year old. His passing, dribbling and general attacking sense were key factors to AVL making it to 17th. He scored 8 goals and had 6 assists. He had 2.5 key passes per game and 2.0 dribbles. He scored the AVL’s final goal of the season, which turned out to be the one that just barely pushed them out of the top 3. He might be controversial as a pick here but his importance to his own team is hard to eclipse.
CM: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Bruno Fernandes swung everything around in Manchester United’s favour. He managed to pull Manchester United all the way to the top 3 after they were having an extremely rocky season. Since he started playing, Manchester United was the team with the highest points. Fernandes has shown strengths in almost every facet of attacking play, whether it be passing, dribbling or shooting. He also has a fantastic read of the game. He managed a staggering 8 goals and 7 assists in just 15 Premier League games.averaging 2.1 key passes and 1.1 dribbles.
CM: Kevin DeBruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin DeBruyne is probably a favourite for not only the best player of the season but also the best midfielder in the entire world, at the very least, for this season. He contributed immensely in almost every single match with some of the most accurate and clever passes and crosses. His shooting was terrific and his general attacking style was second to none. Despite playing 32 games fully, he managed 20 assists equaling Thierry Henry’s record for most PL assists in a single season and also 13 goals. He had 3.9 key passes per game, 1.4 dribbles and 2.8 shots. He was probably the easiest pick for this entire team.
LW: Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Despite Arsenal’s disappointing season where they barely made it into the top 10, Aubameyang was still impressive. His instincts as an attacker are still sharp with immense speed and general sensibilities, which is why he was 2nd amongst goal scorers with 22. He also had 3 assists throughout the season. Aubameyang managed 2.6 shots per game with 0.7 key passes as well. He was crucial to Arsenal even making the top 10 and hopefully will help his team to flip the script in the next season.
RW: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Salah might not have scored the record goals he did in his previous seasons but he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He helped achieve something historic and is cementing Liverpool’s attacking trio as the best in the world. Salah was extremely impressive in his attacking both in terms of dribbling and finishing and arguably as adept in passing. He managed 19 goals throughout the season along with 10 assists. Salah had a whopping 3.9 shots per game, 1.8 key passes and 1.5 dribbles just to show how much of an attacking powerhouse he was.
ST: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
While Leicester City ended up at a disappointing 5th, Vardy was the reason they rose to 2nd in the first place. The Englishman found tremendous form in the midseason which catapulted him to the top of the scoring charts. He managed 23 goals ending up as the no.1 scorer of the season. This was in large part due to his fantastic finishing and positioning, showcasing how much of a deadly attacker he was. He was even strong in the air with 1.5 aerial battles won. Vardy had 2.5 shots per game, 0.9 key passes and 0.7 dribbles. He also tallied 5 assists. Despite Leicester’s form dipping in the later stages, Vardy’s goal scoring form was too impressive to ignore.
Hon. Mentions: Nick Pope (GK; Burnley), Danny Ings(ST; Southampton), Jordan Henderson(CM; Liverpool), Caglar Soyuncu (CB; Leicester City), Sadio Mane (LW; Liverpool), John Egan(GK; Sheffield United)
