As yet another Premier League season comes to a close, we are all set for what could be a photo finish. Chelsea hold a slender four-point lead at the top with Tottenham Hotspur breathing down their necks in what is now effectively a two-horse race to the title. Below them, five teams are fighting it out for the remaining two Champions League spots and nobody can predict who will make the top four.
It’s also that time of the year when the PFA Awards are announced for the best performers of the season. We look at the 11 players who deserved to be selected in the PFA Team of the Year for 2016/17.
Note: The formation used is a traditional 4-4-2 as that is how the votes are cast. Stats are updated as of 18 April.
Goalkeeper
While Tottenham Hotspur’s Tour de Force is probably their attacking football this season, their reliable captain between the sticks has been one of the primary factors for the Spurs occupying second place in the league table.
When Hugo Lloris first joined the club, many wondered why France’s no.1 goalkeeper was moving to a club that always found itself on the outside of the top four looking in. But their steady march into the top four and later competing for the title has answered that question and Lloris’ leadership has been instrumental to their progress.
This season, Lloris has kept 13 clean sheets (alongside Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois) – the highest in the league so far. So why not Courtois? Well, Lloris has made more saves and also has a better distribution compared to his Belgian counterpart.
To top it all, Spurs have conceded the least number of goals this season – five fewer than Chelsea.
Honourable mentions: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea) and Jordan Pickford (Sunderland)
Centre-Backs
In a league where Goal Difference plays a massive role in determining the final positions (just ask Manchester United’s 2011/12 squad how crucial it is), it is no wonder then that teams do not sit back even if they have a comfortable two-goal cushion. Games are often played at a hell-for-leather pace and the “end-to-end” football serves as entertainment from the so-called ‘Best League in the World”.
So when the meanest defence in the league has conceded less than a goal a game, you have to tip your hat to the defenders. Spurs’ Toby Alderweireld has been one of the best centre-backs in the league and it will be surprising if he does not make the cut.
The Belgian has had his share of injury layoffs but has still managed to play 24 games, clocking more than 2000 minutes. His assured presence at the back even with the ball at his feet gives Spurs the extra option when circulating the ball and building attack from the back. Ignore his dangerous diagonal long balls at your own peril.
Alongside him is Chelsea’s David Luiz. The most expensive defender in the world when he was sold for £50m to PSG, the Brazilian made the move back to Chelsea this season after he was disillusioned in Paris. He slotted straight into Antonio Conte’s defence when the Italian boss ditched the 4-man backline and opted for a three-man defence.
The tactic worked as Chelsea went on a 13-match winning run and Luiz played the full 90 minutes in each fixture. While he hasn’t scored from set-pieces as much as he did in his first stint, he did score that free-kick in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
Honourable mention: Virgil van Dijk (Southampton)
Full-Backs
The role of a full-back has been altered over the years and in the Premier League. He is judged not just by his defensive standards but also what he can offer in attack. It's no wonder then that Hector Bellerin and Danny Rose made the cut last year.
Sadly, neither of them have impressed this season. Rose did to a certain extent before his injury while Bellerin’s injuries have clearly seen him play despite not being fully fit.
But Spurs are represented by Kyle Walker – the third Spurs player to make the cut. Antonio Valencia was a good shout but Walker has performed consistently and is a better player going forward. He has also got five assists to his name this season. The Englishman has run his heart out in a number of games and has also created 37 chances so far.
On the left is a debatable pick but Marcos Alonso has been sensational for Chelsea. Although he plays as a wing-back, it would be hard to ignore his contributions on the left flank. He has five goals and two assists – his free-kicks being a huge bonus.
Another tireless player who works the flank, Alonso is a neat tackler of the ball and has ably supported the likes of Eden Hazard ahead of him in the Blues’ attack.
Honourable mentions: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United) and James Milner (Liverpool)
Central Midfield
Since only two central midfielders are selected due to the formation, we have gone with one defensive midfielder and one attacking midfielder. Of course, there is no question about who slots into defensive midfield.
PFA Player of the year nominee N’Golo Kante has had a second successful season in England and looks all set to lift a second Premier League title in as many seasons if everything goes Chelsea’s way. The French midfielder has justified his decision to move to the London club and Conte has reaped big dividends from his flexibility in midfield.
With Kante in the team, Conte only had to decide on whether Nemanja Matic or Cesc Fabregas partnered him as Kante made the middle third of the pitch his own.
Partnering Kante in midfield is Tottenham’s rising star, Dele Alli. The 21-year-old has seen his stock rise to outrageous levels this season and has so far scored 16 goals to go with his five assists.
With such numbers (better than Eden Hazard, might I add), it seemed ludicrous when he wasn’t named among the nominees for the PFA Player of the Year. Of course, he was nominated for Young Player of the Year but players have won both awards at the same time – namely Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in recent years.
Ah, that probably explains Real Madrid’s interest in young Alli.
Honourable mentions: Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City)
Wingers
The wingers (or wide midfielders) were a tough pick due to the abundance of talent and performances in the league this season. A number of players have put in a shift and scored plenty of goals but only two can make it into this lineup.
On the right wing, we’ve gone with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane. Liverpool were riding high on his performances and his absence due to the Africa Cup of Nations saw the Merseyside club struggle to get results – thereby earning the moniker 'One Mane Team'.
His return saw an upswing in fortunes at the club. He leads the club’s goalscoring charts with 13 goals and also has five assists to his name. The Reds’ unbelievable record against the other top seven teams is partly down to his exploits with goals against Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton.
On the left is Chelsea’s second nominee for the PFA Player of the Year – Eden Hazard. In what has been a stark contrast to last season’s poor return, the Belgian has scored 14 goals and grabbed five assists.
It started with that Man of the Match performance against Manchester United earlier this season and he then scored against other top sides such as Arsenal and Manchester City. In the league alone he has been named Man of the Match 12 times this season (according to WhoScored).
His movement and pace on the ball have been a nightmare for defenders and the solo goal against the Gunners only underlined his importance to the club.
Honourable mentions: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) and Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Strikers
Picking two strikers to lead this assorted team of stars was the toughest decision to make. Six strikers in the Premier League have scored at least 17 goals and all of them could easily end up with more than 20 goals at the rate they are scoring.
The Premier League Golden Boot race has Romelu Lukaku in the lead with 24 goals so far. He is quite some distance ahead of the others vying for the prize and the Everton man has been a phenom at Goodison Park this season. So much so that he is still held in high regard despite his reluctance to sign a new contract and questioning the club’s ambitions.
With six assists to add to his tally, no player has been involved in more goals than Lukaku (30). Not bad for a 23-year-old who has already alerted former club Chelsea who are looking to replace Diego Costa with the Spanish striker expected to leave this summer.
Partnering him is Harry Kane – the only other player to score 20 goals so far. It marks the third consecutive season where he has breached the 20-goal mark and puts him in elite company with the likes of Premier League legends Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Alan Shearer.
An injury threatened to end his season prematurely but he has returned to fitness faster than expected and it allows Spurs to put pressure on Chelsea. Still, it wasn’t like he was missed as the Lilywhites have won the last seven consecutive games.
Alexis Sanchez really deserved a spot in the team but it’s hard to look past Lukaku (scoring at will with a considerably weaker team) and Kane (ensuring Spurs are in the title race) as Arsenal's top four challenge crumbled.
Honourable mentions: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United)
