Yesterday as the Professional Footballers’ association (PFA) announced the premier league team of the year , some of the players’ presence in the squad was evident , while others were a bit doubtful and some of the players who impressed us a lot in the last season , failed to make it to the squad.
The PFA (professional association of footballers) team of the year is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men’s English football the Premier league, the Championship, League One and League Two. Yesterday when the PFA announced the squad of the year for the English Premier League, the squad had a lot of quality, but was missing many key players who had impressed us throughout the season .
The squad that was presented which had goalkeeper as Nick Pope, Andrew Robertson, Soyuncu, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander Arnold completed the defence, in the midfield Jordan Henderson, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne took charge while the attack had Sadio Mane, Aubameyang and Vardy.
The presence of Nick Pope in the squad was a huge thunderbolt for a lot of people especially because there were other great goalkeepers like Allison, Ederson, Schmeichel who were also really good this season. But we can’t say that Nick was not worthy of the spot. The Burnley goalkeeper had a great season and had one of the most number of clean sheets this season.
Next we come to the defenders, which according to me were the right players. Soyuncu had put an excellent defensive display with Leicester and he also managed to score a goal and provide 1 assist and was deservedly given the role of the centre half . Then comes the Liverpool trio who just like last season, impressed us with their defensive and at times offensive brilliance.
Van Dijk who won the PFA player of the season last year just fell short of reaching the milestone but his excellence on the pitch still manages to win the hearts of the fans. Alexander Arnold who is a young sensation, won the PFA young player of the year award and the Scottish International Robertson also won hearts .
The midfield consisted of 3 players, namely Henderson, David Silva and De Bruyne. Henderson was truly deserving of winning a spot in the squad as his spectacular work in the middle of the park with and his leadership won Liverpool the prestigious premier league title.
David Silva once again like any other season didn’t fail to fascinate us with his brilliance on the pitch. Kevin De Bruyne was no doubt the PFA player of the year as the Belgium international had a great season as a result of his sheer eminence both in midfield and attack, he also netted 13 goals and provided 20 assists for city and there was no doubt about him making it to the squad.
The 3 players playing forward were Mane, Vardy and Aubameyang. Vardy was lethal this season as he was the top scorer with 23 goals but his form seemed to degrade towards the end of the season. Sadio Mane though had a great season and won the PL with Liverpool, but on a personal level his performance wasn’t as good as he was capable of .
Then comes the Wembley hero Aubameyang who completely deserved his spot in the squad as he scored 21 goals for arsenal and also scored in the FA Cup Final and the Community shield.
These are the 11 players who made it to the team of the year. However, the squad overlooked some fine players like goalkeeprs Allison Becker, Ederson Moares who are one the best in business. Danny Ings’ and Jack Grealish’s absence in the squad was one of the biggest shocks as they both played a significant role in saving their respective teams from relegation, the absenteeism of other players like Mo Salah, Pulisic, Mahrez, Anthony Martial, Raul Jimenez was also disheartening as they all worked really hard for their teams.
What do you think who were the players robbed from a spot in the Premier League PFA Team of The Year or according to you is the squad the best possible one ? Comment down your thoughts below.
Thank you very much