'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
There is no surprise that 10 of the 11 players from this year's PFA Team of the year belong to either Manchester City or Liverpool, seeing as they have been the most dominant of sides over the course of the season.
However, seeing Paul Pogba up there is not the prettiest of sights. Can two months of insane performances really overshadow 10 months of abject mediocrity? Because the team was reached by voting by the fellow players from the Premier League, it is not possible to blame this on any one person.
Either way, there have been a number of players who have been unjustly denied a spot in the squad despite having put in applaudable performances round the season. Here's a look at 5 of them.
#4 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Imagine scoring 19 goals, recording seven more assists, sharing the most number of goals in the EPL and finding out that you are still not part of the Team of the Year which is voted by your fellow players in the league. Tell me you are not pissed.
Salah's omission might have gone under the radar, seeing as how Liverpool already have four players on the team and also that his counterpart Sadio Mane is already featured up top. But there is still a strong case for why Salah has to be part of the line-up.
For example, the Egyptian has played 200 odd minutes more than the Senegalese, has had 40 odd more shots than him and leads the league in shots on target and 19 more than Mane (56 to 37).
What is likely is that he has been a victim of his own success. 19 goals in the league is pretty good, but 19 goals as a follow-up to a season where he smashed the PL record with a staggering 32 goals is a bit of a let-down.
#3 N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
If you still think N'Golo Kante is only about running all around the pitch and stopping counters and shielding the ball with his dimunitive yet impenetrable frame, buddy, I don't even want to know you.
After winning the World Cup with France in the summer, coming on the back of two EPL title wins and a Player of the season award, there was a question of whether Kante had peaked in his career. What more could the man do? The answer, as it turns out, is to score more goals.
While Jorginho was the player most expected to flourish under the guidance of new manager Sarri, it is truly Kante who has been completely transformed. No longer held back by his defensive chains, the Frenchman is now one of the most advanced players for the Blues when attacking, while also not losing an ounce of his defensive ability. Madness.
While only four goals and four assists don't look like much, for a player like Kante, that is four more than should be possible. Not to mention the goals have come against Manchester City and Tottenham in crucial games, when Chelsea were all but written out.
Perhaps the reason for the omission was Kante's impossibly high standards set earlier, or the fact that Fernandinho was already a shoo-in into the team.
#2 Son Heung-Min (Tottenham)
The most important player for Tottenham this season has not been the impeccable Harry Kane or the creative genius of Christian Eriksen. It is neither the deceptive Dele Alli nor the wildly successful but equally inconsistent Lucas Moura. It has not been the double Belgian defenders at the back or their towering full backs and their devastating crosses.
It has simply been Son Heung-Min.
Brought back from the cusp of compulsory military duty in South Korea causing him to miss almost an entire month's duration in the PL, Son has repaid the faith in him more than what was due. Having racked up 12 goals and seven assists in the season so far, he has been the single most influential player for Spurs this season, particularly in the midst of Kane's injury.
Besides, being responsible for knocking out Manchester City from the UCL is another feather in his cap. Maybe the fact that he played as the forward in most of the games this season weighed against his favor, owing to the fact that Aguero simply had way too many goals to his name to be dismissed.
#1 Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
One doesn't even have to be a Chelsea fan to be disgusted at the fact that Eden Hazard did not make it into the PFA Team of the year. Here are some facts to make your blood boil:
The focal point of Chelsea's "Sarriball" this season, the Belgian has been nothing short of magical so far. After the disappointment of Morata and the subsequent bamboozle by Higuain, combined with Willian's no-shows, Hazard has taken it on himself to do everything in front of goal for the Londoners, and more often than not, he has delivered.
With 16 goals and 13 assists to his name, there are not many players in the PL who can take on him when it comes to the stats. Considering that he is also one of the most fouled players in world football at the moment, it makes the achievement look even better.
The only acceptable reason for the forward being booted from the team is the players he had to fight for for the spot. All three forwards have had excellent seasons, but even then Hazard overshadows them when it comes to the numbers. Here's an example:
Perhaps then, he was ignored because of the overall situation with the team, where City and Liverpool have a considerable advantage. If so, Hazard moving ashore in search of stronger teams makes sense.
