da doce： It may seem like only yesterday the 2015/16 Premier League season opened but we’re now just nine games away from its conclusion.
da bwin： It’s hard to remember a campaign quite as ridiculous as the current one. Chelsea are on course to complete the worst title defence in Premier League history whilst last term’s great escape act Leicester City now find themselves the favourites to lift the English crown.
Somewhere in between, Manchester United have shifted from crisis to crisis, Stoke City have become the favoured team of any footballing hipster, West Ham have emerged as a force to be reckoned with and Arsenal… well, Arsenal are doing what they usually do and imploding just when things are getting interesting.
With that in mind, places in the PFA Team of the Year are arguably more competitive than ever before. So with just a handful of games left to guarantee their spots, Football Fancast have taken a look at the three leading candidates for each position.
Who makes your Team of the Year? Let us know by commenting below!
GOALKEEPER
Kasper Schmeichel – Leicester City’s heroics have been underpinned by between-the-stick-brilliance from the son of Peter. Resembling his illustrious father’s aggressive style and expert reflexes, the 29-year-old boasts 63 saves and ten clean sheets this season.
Jack Butland – The 21-year-old’s emphatic rise is comparable to that of Dele Alli, easing into No.1 duties at Stoke City to rank second and joint-third throughout the Premier League for saves and clean sheets respectively. Some would prefer to see him start for England ahead of Joe Hart at Euro 2016.
Petr Cech – The veteran shot-stopper has added vital composure to an often chaotic Arsenal backline since his summer move from Chelsea and recorded the most clean sheets of any Premier League goalkeeper, an impressive twelve from 28 outings.
Verdict: Jack Butland. Whilst Cech has performed as well as expected and Schmeichel has produced moments of top class brilliance, Butland’s season has been simply phenomenal for a 21-year-old goalkeeper who’d previously made just six appearances in the top flight.
RIGHT-BACK
Kyle Walker – Back to his best after a few seasons of injury problems and mediocre form. The England international’s relative experience has been integral to an otherwise youthful Spurs side this season and his flying role is vital to the Pochettino philosophy.
Hector Bellerin – The Spaniard looks so comfortable in the Arsenal starting Xi that it’s easy to forget he’s just 20 years of age. His incredible pace has dug Per Mertesacker out of countless holes this season and he’s produced at the other end as well with three assists – the joint-most of any Premier League right-back.
Danny Simpson – The 29-year-old has missed just a handful of Leicester City’s league games and offers intrinsic stability behind the nomadic Riyad Mahrez. The former Man United youngster’s form hasn’t been ground-breaking but has remained consistent throughout the campaign.
Verdict: Hector Bellerin. In all honesty, it’s not been a brilliant season for right-backs but purely for the enormous potential shown through moments of attacking brilliance, we’re going with the Arsenal youngster.
CENTRE-BACK
Chris Smalling – The England international has emerged as one of the first names on the team sheet under Louis van Gaal and Roy Hodgson will likely feel the same at Euro 2016. Manchester United boast the second-best goals conceded record in the league and much of that has rested on Smalling’s last-ditch defending and ability to organise an often makeshift backline.
Laurent Koscielny – Perhaps the France international hasn’t performed particularly beyond the levels we’d expect but he’s one of the top centre-backs in the Premier League, if not throughout Europe, and has proved it again this season with a series of strong displays.
Toby Alderweireld – The former Southampton star has been the biggest influence on Spurs’ division-best goals conceded record, playing in every minute of their Premier League campaign thus far. He’s emerged as a real leader amongst a youthful side and in addition to some impeccable defending, has added three goals and two assists to the cause.
Verdict: Toby Alderweireld. Whilst Smalling and Koscienly have suffered from United and Arsenal’s respective blips in form, the Belgium international has remained consistent all season and really added something to this title-contending Spurs side.
CENTRE-BACK
Robert Huth – Leicester City’s incredible run since the end of last season coincided with the towering German’s arrival from Stoke City in January 2014. He’s clearly a dressing room leader and alongside consistently excellent old-school defending, with a few cheeky elbows here and there, has netted vital goals against Spurs and Man City this term.
Virgil van Dijk – The Southampton signing has slipped under the radar somewhat but he’s enjoying an incredible debut season. Whoscored have only issued Riyad Mahrez with more Man of the Match awards than the Dutchman’s seven this season, combining an imposing 6 foot 4 frame with great technical quality and netting prowess.
Wes Morgan – Has any Premier League player shown more improvement than Wes Morgan this season? The Foxes servant looked out of his depth last term but has performed like a man possessed since his side became realistic title contenders, averaging 1.2 blocks, 2.7 interceptions and 2.5 aerial duels per match.
Verdict: Robert Huth. The impact he’s had on this Leicester side has been phenomenal and those aforementioned goals could well prove the difference in the title race come the end of May.
LEFT-BACK
Charlie Daniels – The 29-year-old has produced three important goals from left-back this season and the most assists of any Bournemouth player, five, to play a vital hand in their all-but-secured survival bid. He’s stepped up to the level of the Premier League and has made overlapping runs a key feature of the Cherries’ attacking play.
Christian Fuchs – The former Schalke star’s added Champions League quality to Leicester City’s defence and it shows in the statistics, ranking tenth throughout the Premier League for both tackles and interceptions whilst creating one chance per match and resultantly amassing three assists.
Nathan Ake – Perhaps other No.3s, such as Tottenham’s Danny Rose, deserve a mention but the composure and maturity of 21-year-old Nathan Ake has really caught the eye. He’s featured regularly for a defensively-assured Watford side, averaging a whopping 3.4 tackles and 3.4 interceptions per match.
Verdict: Christian Fuchs. Simply because his impressive form has come at the top end of the table, rather than it’s middle-to-lower section, we’re going with the Leicester City left-back. He’s got to be one of the signings of the season, arriving from the Bundesliga on a free transfer.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD
Eric Dier – Another notable influence on Spurs’ impressive defensive record. The 22-year-old serves as the Lilywhites’ midfield anchor, providing protection in front of the back four whilst remaining positive on the ball, and has struck up a fantastic partnership with Dele Alli.
Cheikhou Kouyate – Unquestionably one of the Premier League’s best at what he does, the Senegal international’s industry in midfield is simply phenomenal. He’s played a big part in West Ham’s season, complementing the less mobile styles of Mark Noble whilst adding four goals to the cause.
N’Golo Kante – Combining the mind of Claude Makelele with the energy of Ramires, the Frenchman has dominated every midfield put in front of him this season. He’s completed the most ball-winning actions of any Premier League player this term but has also offered vital dynamism and drive on the counter-attack.
Verdict: N’Golo Kante. Almost a no contest, despite others often grabbing the headlines Leicester City just wouldn’t be the same team without him.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD
Mousa Dembele – It’s been a renaissance campaign for the Belgium international following a few years in the wilderness. He’s injected class, composure and creativity into Spurs’ engine room, whilst ranking fourth throughout the Premier League for successful tackles per match with 3.9.
Danny Drinkwater – The 26-year-old’s long-range passing has instigated countless Leicester attacks and few Premier League midfielders have balanced their offensive and defensive duties better this season, producing two goals and four assists whilst averaging 2.9 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 1.2 shots, 1.3 created chances and 0.9 successful dribbles per match.
Dele Alli – What a mind-blowing rise Dele Alli finds himself amid, having ended last season with MK Dons in League One. The 19-year-old has gone on to claim seven goals and six assists in 27 outings for Spurs and is guaranteed a place on England’s plane for Euro 2016.
Verdict: Dele Alli. It’s hard to remember the last time a player so young had such an impact on the top flight after arriving from the Football League. Furthermore, whilst Dembele and Drinkwater earned nominations through their consistency, Alli’s produced unforgettable moments of brilliance – most notably that Goal of the Season contender against Crystal Palace.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD
Mesut Ozil – Arsenal’s World Cup winner has gone missing on the big occasions at times this season but it’s impossible to ignore the statistics. He’s a playmaking No.10 by trade and ranks at the top of the Premier League for created chances, accurate crosses and assists, amassing an incredible 18 set-ups.
Christian Eriksen – Following closely behind Ozil in the chance creation charts is the Spurs No.10, who has notched up an impressive eight assists and five goals in 26 appearances. The Danish maestro’s winner against Manchester City could have a huge effect on the Premier League’s final standings this season.
Ross Barkley – The England international has improved with every season in the Everton first-team and is now amid his strongest campaign to date, bagging eight goals and seven assists in 28 Premier League appearances. He also ranks second throughout the division for successful dribbles per match with 3.3 – all the more impressive considering he’s operated exclusively in central areas.
Verdict: Mesut Ozil – Once again, the statistics speak for themselves. Even if there are a few negatives against the Arsenal star, he’s fulfilled the job of playmaker better than any alternative in the Premier League this season.
RIGHT WING
Willian – Amid a frankly horrendous season at Chelsea, Willian’s performances have given the fans something to cheer for. The Brazilian attacker remains as industrious, dynamic and creative as ever but has added vital output to his game this season, netting a career-best ten times across all competitions.
Riyad Mahrez – The Algerian international’s return of 15 goals and eleven assists, and the impact it’s had on Leicester’s title bid, speaks for itself. But it’s the ease in which he’s shouldered the responsibility of talisman that’s been the most impressive.
Kevin De Bruyne – Perhaps we’re favouring the bigger clubs in this instance but nonetheless, the Belgium international certainly hasn’t buckled under his £55million price-tag, notching up five goals and nine assists from just 19 appearances during his debut campaign.
Verdict: Riyad Mahrez. Whilst De Bruyne’s missed a large chunk of the season through injury and Willian has been the best of a very, very bad bunch, Mahrez is a shoo-in for this season’s Player of the Year award. A simple choice.
LEFT WING
Dimitri Payet – The Frenchman has consistently produced moments of world-class magic, playing wide or centrally, to become the Hammers’ talisman and register eight goals and seven assists during his debut Premier League campaign.
Marko Arnautovic – We’re finally beginning to see what all the fuss is about following two decent if rather unspectacular opening campaigns at Stoke City. The winger-forward’s bagged nine goals and four assists this term, whilst his combination with Bojan and Xherdan Shaqiri has been one of the highlights of the season.
Georginio Wijnaldum – Newcastle may plummet out of the top flight this season but the Netherlands international’s flutters of form, especially considering the limited quality surrounding him on Tyneside, deserve a noteworthy mention. He’s claimed three assists and nine goals this term, four of which came in the same game – an impressive feat by itself.
Verdict: Dimitri Payet. The 28-year-old is already a West Ham legend for the grace and ease in which he floats around the midfield, which has also made him one of the most exciting Premier League players to watch this season.
Striker
Odion Ighalo – The Nigerian striker may be amid a downturn in form but he’s scored 52% of Watford’s league goals this season, the biggest single-handed contribution of any player throughout the Premier League. Likewise, 14 goals is nothing to be sniffed at for a debut campaign.
Romelu Lukaku – Still just 22 years of age yet the most consistent goalscorer in the Premier League over the last four seasons, notching up 60 strikes. That includes 18 this term, alongside six assists, to reach second in the division’s scoring charts.
Jamie Vardy – Top of the goal charts, a Premier League record-breaker, the man firing Leicester City to a miraculous title bid and certain to play some role for England at Euro 2016. Vardy’s season has been nothing short of spellbinding and as we’re often reminded, he was plying his trade in non-league football just over three years ago.
Verdict: Jamie Vardy. He’s likely to finish up with the Premier League’s Golden Boot and his Roy-of-the-Rovers-rise pulls on the heartstrings. A relatively simple choice to end things on.