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The Premier League entered its first international break on the back of some exciting and gripping action. Over the course of the first four match-days, 116 goals went in, thus keeping up with the Premier League’s reputation of being high-octane.
After four weeks, the table is topped by Liverpool, who lead on goal difference. Along with Liverpool, Chelsea and Watford have also maintained a perfect start heading into the break. However, not all clubs have found it plain sailing with West Ham, Burnley and Newcastle languishing at the foot of the table.
The Premier League has again been the platform for a number of impressive performances, some by its new additions and some by those who have already gone through the grind of a full English football season. Despite the season only being a month old, I have compiled a team of the season based on the players’ performances up until now.
The team looks exciting on paper and has a good blend of youth and experience. Without wasting further time, let us look at which players make the cut and get the honour of being a part of the ‘Team of the Season till now’.
Manager: Javi Gracia (Watford)
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
The 2nd most expensive goalkeeper in the world has had an eventful start to life in Merseyside. After keeping three impressive clean sheets in his first three games, Alisson came up with a howler against Leicester.
Apart from the error, Alisson has been a calming presence between the sticks. He has made 10 saves till now and came up with a couple of crucial saves to deny Crystal Palace a sniff at a draw. In addition to this, his distribution has been exemplary and has provided the answer to Liverpool’s goalkeeping conundrum.
Alisson faced competition from the likes of Rui Patricio but gets the nod due to his supreme ball distribution and ability to come up with match-changing saves.
Defenders: Marcus Alonso (Chelsea), Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool), Craig Cathcart (Watford), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
The full backs, Alonso and Azpilicueta easily get into the team on the weight of their performances for Chelsea. Many had believed Alonso would struggle to function as a conventional full back. However, Alonso has put those fears to rest and has been solid in his new role. Additionally, he has also caused havoc in the attacking third and popped up with the winner against Arsenal.
Partnering him on the other flank is Azpilicueta. Azpilicueta has been an ever-present in the Chelsea side for a number of years and looks primed to play an important role under Maurizio Sarri as well. In the four games, he has averaged 2.3 tackles per game apart from 1.5 interceptions. He would provide balance to the back line since he is more reserved in his approach and would let Alonso play high up the pitch.
The center backs, Van Dijk and Cathcart have been immense for their respective sides. Van Dijk has averaged 5.5 clearances per game and was at his best against Crystal Palace. Cathcart, on the other hand, has been equally sturdy and averages 6 clearances per game to go with 1.8 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game.
Both center backs have been the rock on which their team’s success has been built. Thus, they get into the team on the back of their colossal displays.
Of the two center backs, Van Dijk is a good distributor of the ball and can play out from the back while Cathcart is good at playing long balls, over the top.
The back line seems pretty settled and it would be a nightmare for any forward to face them.
Defensive Midfield: Jorginho (Chelsea) and Jean Michael Seri (Fulham)
The defensive midfield would comprise of an efficient user of the ball in Jorginho and an all action midfielder in the form of Seri. Both are enjoying their first season in the English top-flight but have adapted to the league like ducks to water.
Jorginho has been superlative in Chelsea’s perfect start to the campaign. He has averaged more than a 100 passes in each game at an accuracy above 90%. Jorginho would act as the metronome at the base of our team’s midfield.
Seri, on the other hand is more action-packed in his approach. Not afraid to put in a tackle, he is exceptional on the ball and averages 2 key passes per game. He already has an assist to his name and his goal against Burnley is one of the best the season has seen.
The midfielders would complement each other well with Seri helping in recovering the ball and Jorginho recycling it. Hence, they make the ideal midfield pairing. The duo faced stiff competition from the likes of Milner, Moutinho, Doucoure and Keita. However, their ability to complement each other gets them the start ahead of the others.
Attacking Midfielders: Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Lucas Moura (Tottenham) and Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
The trio of Hazard, Mane and Lucas would give the meanest of defences a hard time. In our team, Hazard will start on his preferred left-flank with Mane occupying the other wing. Lucas will play behind the striker and will act as the No.10.
Hazard hadn’t started Chelsea’s first two games yet he conjured two assists in his appearances as a substitute. Since then, he has started both games and has been the orchestrator of Chelsea’s poetry-like attack. Hazard has taken his game to the next level and seems motivated to win back the league for Chelsea. Thus, his choice was a no-brainer.
Similarly, Mane also walked into the team with ease. Mane has been looking ominous for Liverpool. To supplement this, he has started the season in a rich vein of goal-scoring form. At present, he leads the race for the Golden Boot. With Hazard inclined to cut inside, Mane would provide the directness and trickery on the other flank.
The No.10 position goes to Tottenham’s Lucas. He was simply sensational at Old Trafford where he bagged a brace with a couple of well-taken goals. Lucas is a dazzling dribbler and is hard to stop when he gets going. Having arrived in North London in January, he is finally hitting his straps. If he continues to come up with similar performances, one can expect Spurs to challenge for the title.
The triumvirate of Mane, Hazard and Lucas boasts of bags of talent and skill. Though there was competition from the likes of Richarlison, Sterling and Roberto Pereyra, the selected trio got the nod for the X-Factor they possess and their consistency.
Striker: Alexsandar Mitrovic (Fulham)
The Serbian has been in red-hot form and has already contributed four goals in four games. Mitrovic is a huge presence in the box and is one of the best headers in the Premier League.
Mitrovic’s selection was the toughest as he faced severe competition from Wilson for the lone striker’s spot. However, his ability to help out the team in aerial duels got him the striker berth.
With the trio of Mane, Hazard and Lucas playing behind him, Mitrovic would be tasked with holding the ball up and bringing them into play. He would be the perfect foil for the front three.
Mitrovic’s talent has never been under the scanner but his consistency has. However, he has started on a promising note this season and would hope to continue his scoring exploits. If he can contribute 15-20 league goals over the course of the season, Fulham could well be on their way to a Top 10 finish.
Honourable Mentions: Luke Shaw, Roberto Pereyra, James Milner, Callum Wilson
