With the premier league set to come back in a few weeks, I thought it would be good to have a record of the team of the season to date. There always tends to be a recency effect with these, so I thought it would be a fascinating thought experiment to see how much (if at all) our picks change between now and the remaining games of the season. Here's mine; I had this shortly after the suspension in the anticipation we might not get a restart:
GK - Dean Henderson: You could argue there hasn't been a standout GK this season, but if you had to give it to one player, I'd make it our young lad on loan. He's made an amazing start for his first full Premier League season and there's been whispers of an England call-up. Honourable mention for Martin Dubravka, who's kept Newcastle in games virtually on his own at times this season.
RB - Trent Alexander-Arnold: Hard to go past the man who I'd argue is the best full-back in the world right now, and who could genuinely be pointed to in the future as the man who permanently changed the role of the modern fullback (though the true influence really should be considered to be Phillip Lahm). Has an incredible influence on his side's tempo and playing style. Honourable mentions to both Wan-Bissaka and Ricardo Pereira, who have both had strong seasons.
CB - Virgil Van Dijk: Has maintained last season's form and is easily the most consistent defender in the PL at this point. Also the true leader at Liverpool and (regrettably) reminds me of Ferdinand at times.
CB - Jonny Evans: Tight call between him and Soyuncu who was the standout defender in the league early on, but his form took a real dip after December. Evans meanwhile has been an extremely consistent performer for Leicester, and doesn't appear to have missed a beat after losing his partner in Maguire (who would be my other honourable mention for stabilising our defence).
LB - Jack O'Connell: OK I'm cheating here; O'Connel is a CB. But in Chris Wilder's system with overlapping CB's, O'Connel might as well be a fullback, or at the very least could play there. Frankly all of Sheffield's CB's have been great this season, but O'Connell has particularly impressed me for both defensive and attacking contributions, and is the best fit for the side here. No obvious honourable mentions for me; really don't think there's been an outstanding left back this season.
CM - Wilfred Ndidi: Sometimes the sign of an important player is how much you notice him when he's not there. And it didn't seem a coincidence that Leicester's early season form seemed to dip around the same time Ndidi was out through injury. I don't think Leicester's "free 8's" system works without him, and he has a Kante-like influence when he's fit.
CM - Jordan Henderson: Now to be clear; I'm not one of the people who things Henderson is a player of the year candidate. But he has probably had his best professional season to date, and has been the most consistent performer in Liverpool's otherwise quite interchangeable midfield, so fair play. Youri Tielemans, and maybe even Fred (my United player of the year) deserve a shout for their consistency this season too.
CAM - Kevin De Bruyne: Probably my player of the season. By far City's most consistent performer in an off-year for the rest. You could argue City's reliance on De Bruyne has increased significantly this year, being played as more of a traditional #10 rather than one of two attacking midfielders in previous seasons. Honourable mention to Jack Grealish for almost single-handedly keeping Villa's heads above water for most of the season.
RW - Adama Traore: I actually feel the tag of "most improved player" has done Traore a disservice this season. He's been one of the most dangerous players in the league and his combination of speed, strength, and vastly improved decision making has been almost unplayable at times. Honourable mention for Moh Salah, who's had a very good year and feels like he's gone somewhat under the radar.
LW - Sadio Mane: I really can't believe how good Mane has become. I felt we missed the boat somewhat when Liverpool signed him, but I never thought he would turn into one of the most productive players in the league that any club in the world would be happy to have. 14 goals and 7 assists in the league may only seem like a respectable return, but the fear he incites in defences is palpable. Don't really have an outstanding honourable mention here, unless you consider Grealish a hybrid left-winger.
ST - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: The hardest position to pick this year, and probably the most likely to change in the remaining 8 games. Vardy and Abraham both started really strong and faded, while Ings and Jimenez started slowly but have increased in prominence as the season has progressed. I personally think Firmino has been outstanding whenever I've watched him, but I have it from a Liverpool-supporting mate that he misses an insane amount of chances and should be on 20 goals this season. Aubameyang however has been Arsenal's sole light this season, and has bailed them out with Van Persie like frequency. 17 goals playing for a team in 9th is a hell of an achievement.
Manager - Chris Wilder: I know Klopp is set to lead Liverpool to the most comfortable league win ever; I don't care. Sheffield United's achievements this season have been more impressive given the relative resources.
So no United players, but perhaps the likes of Rashford, Fred, or Maguire could sneak in if we have a great finish to the season and get fourth. Full team:
----------------------D. Henderson------------------
T.A.A.-------Van Dijk-----Evans-------O'Connell
---------------Ndidi------------J.Henderson
----------------------De Bruyne
Traore---------------------------------------------Mane
--------------------Aubameyang
Thoughts?
GK - Dean Henderson: You could argue there hasn't been a standout GK this season, but if you had to give it to one player, I'd make it our young lad on loan. He's made an amazing start for his first full Premier League season and there's been whispers of an England call-up. Honourable mention for Martin Dubravka, who's kept Newcastle in games virtually on his own at times this season.
RB - Trent Alexander-Arnold: Hard to go past the man who I'd argue is the best full-back in the world right now, and who could genuinely be pointed to in the future as the man who permanently changed the role of the modern fullback (though the true influence really should be considered to be Phillip Lahm). Has an incredible influence on his side's tempo and playing style. Honourable mentions to both Wan-Bissaka and Ricardo Pereira, who have both had strong seasons.
CB - Virgil Van Dijk: Has maintained last season's form and is easily the most consistent defender in the PL at this point. Also the true leader at Liverpool and (regrettably) reminds me of Ferdinand at times.
CB - Jonny Evans: Tight call between him and Soyuncu who was the standout defender in the league early on, but his form took a real dip after December. Evans meanwhile has been an extremely consistent performer for Leicester, and doesn't appear to have missed a beat after losing his partner in Maguire (who would be my other honourable mention for stabilising our defence).
LB - Jack O'Connell: OK I'm cheating here; O'Connel is a CB. But in Chris Wilder's system with overlapping CB's, O'Connel might as well be a fullback, or at the very least could play there. Frankly all of Sheffield's CB's have been great this season, but O'Connell has particularly impressed me for both defensive and attacking contributions, and is the best fit for the side here. No obvious honourable mentions for me; really don't think there's been an outstanding left back this season.
CM - Wilfred Ndidi: Sometimes the sign of an important player is how much you notice him when he's not there. And it didn't seem a coincidence that Leicester's early season form seemed to dip around the same time Ndidi was out through injury. I don't think Leicester's "free 8's" system works without him, and he has a Kante-like influence when he's fit.
CM - Jordan Henderson: Now to be clear; I'm not one of the people who things Henderson is a player of the year candidate. But he has probably had his best professional season to date, and has been the most consistent performer in Liverpool's otherwise quite interchangeable midfield, so fair play. Youri Tielemans, and maybe even Fred (my United player of the year) deserve a shout for their consistency this season too.
CAM - Kevin De Bruyne: Probably my player of the season. By far City's most consistent performer in an off-year for the rest. You could argue City's reliance on De Bruyne has increased significantly this year, being played as more of a traditional #10 rather than one of two attacking midfielders in previous seasons. Honourable mention to Jack Grealish for almost single-handedly keeping Villa's heads above water for most of the season.
RW - Adama Traore: I actually feel the tag of "most improved player" has done Traore a disservice this season. He's been one of the most dangerous players in the league and his combination of speed, strength, and vastly improved decision making has been almost unplayable at times. Honourable mention for Moh Salah, who's had a very good year and feels like he's gone somewhat under the radar.
LW - Sadio Mane: I really can't believe how good Mane has become. I felt we missed the boat somewhat when Liverpool signed him, but I never thought he would turn into one of the most productive players in the league that any club in the world would be happy to have. 14 goals and 7 assists in the league may only seem like a respectable return, but the fear he incites in defences is palpable. Don't really have an outstanding honourable mention here, unless you consider Grealish a hybrid left-winger.
ST - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: The hardest position to pick this year, and probably the most likely to change in the remaining 8 games. Vardy and Abraham both started really strong and faded, while Ings and Jimenez started slowly but have increased in prominence as the season has progressed. I personally think Firmino has been outstanding whenever I've watched him, but I have it from a Liverpool-supporting mate that he misses an insane amount of chances and should be on 20 goals this season. Aubameyang however has been Arsenal's sole light this season, and has bailed them out with Van Persie like frequency. 17 goals playing for a team in 9th is a hell of an achievement.
Manager - Chris Wilder: I know Klopp is set to lead Liverpool to the most comfortable league win ever; I don't care. Sheffield United's achievements this season have been more impressive given the relative resources.
So no United players, but perhaps the likes of Rashford, Fred, or Maguire could sneak in if we have a great finish to the season and get fourth. Full team:
----------------------D. Henderson------------------
T.A.A.-------Van Dijk-----Evans-------O'Connell
---------------Ndidi------------J.Henderson
----------------------De Bruyne
Traore---------------------------------------------Mane
--------------------Aubameyang
Thoughts?
