Sport
Team of the season 2019/20 (without Liverpool and Manchester City)
With the fate of the season hanging in the balance, plenty of news outlets have been revealing their own version of the team of the season. Predictably these have been largely dominated by Liverpool players with the obligatory addition of Kevin de Bruyne from Man City. We decided to mix it up and put together a own team of the season in which Liverpool and City players weren’t allowed. So here is our alternative team of the season.
Alternative team of the season
GK – Dean Henderson (Sheff Utd)
The on-loan Manchester United stopper has been magnificent for Sheffield United this season and his performances have given two of his Premier League rivals serious cause for concern.
David de Gea, Manchester United’s first choice goalkeeper, in addition to Jordan Pickford, who has recently been number one for England, have both endured an error strewn 18 months between the sticks and, with Henderson in imperious form, could be fearing for their places.
With ten clean sheets, only Burnley’s Nick Pope has managed to shut the opposition out more often. However, whereas Pope has conceded 40 goals in the other games, Henderson has only let in 22. He has been a massive part of Sheffield United’s success and deserves a place in the team of the season.
LB – Lucas Digne (Everton)
26-year-old France international Digne has been a hit since joining Everton from Barcelona in 2018 and won The Toffees Player of the Season award in his first season.
In a world without Andy Robertson, there would be an argument for Digne as the best left back in the Premier League. Unfortunately for him, that world doesn’t exist and, as such, not only is Digne not the best in the league, he’s not even the best on Merseyside.
However, Robertson’s standing shouldn’t detract from Digne’s brilliance, he is the definitive modern full back, combining defensive resolve with bounding attacking flair and intent.
So far this season Digne has contributed the third most crosses in the league (218), the 18th most assists (5) and put in the 23rd most tackles (58) suggesting that he is contributing as much to Everton’s attacking effort as their defensive.
RB – Ricardo Pereira (Leicester)
In a straight shootout between Pereira and Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the Portugal international edges it..
Pereira finished with the fourth highest Premier League tackles in the 2018/19 season with Wan-Bissaka in third place. The pair are first and second in the rankings this time round, although Pereira has leapfrogged the young Englishman into first place.
Having made 119 successful challenges at an absurd rate of 4.25 per game, Pereira is 20 tackles clear of anybody else. With three Premier League goals, two assists and 60 crosses to his name as well, he is also contributing massively to the Foxes’ attacking efforts and is well worthy of a place in our team of the season.
CB – Jonny Evans (Leicester)
Manchester United’s decision to allow the Northern Irishman to depart for a palty £7 million in 2015 must be one of the club’s worst transfer decisions of the decade. And that was a decade in which they signed Angel di Maria and Alexis Sanchez.
As the Red Devils desperately try to find someone to play alongside Evans’ old defensive partner, Harry Maguire, the Leicester star has quietly transformed himself into one of the best central defenders in the league.
Evans has been a colossus in the heart of the second best defence in the division which, with 28 goals conceded in 29 games, is leaking under a goal a game on average.
CB – Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester)
Eyebrows were raised when Leicester sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a world record fee and then didn’t sign a replacement but Leicester knew something that most of the rest of us didn’t, that they already hadn’t arguably an even better defender at the club.
Jonny Evans’ partner in crime this season has stepped into the breach magnificently as the other half of that miserly central defensive unit. The Turkish international has made the sixth most completed passes in the league (1,862), the 13th most clearances (128), the 17th most headed clearances (60) and made just a single error leading to a goal.
Such has been his form that it has become a well worn out Twitter joke that Leicester actually flogged United their third best defender.
CM – Jorginho (Chelsea)
Jorginho got off to a rough start at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri. The Italian was used in the defensive midfield role which was previously occupied by fan favourite N’Golo Kante, who was subsequently played out of position and saw his performance levels drop. Jorginho took an unfair amount of flack for that from his own fans and his future looked uncertain when Sarri departed.
However, he has continued to be Chelsea’s first choice midfielder under Frank Lampard and has enjoyed a fantastic season in the heart of the side. He has made the seventh most passes in the league (1,861) which makes him the highest rank midfielder in that category, whilst also contributing four league goals and two assists, a decent return for a defensive midfielder and a strong addition to the team of the season.
CM – Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
It’s difficult to argue that any player in the league has been as vital to their own team’s cause as Grealish this season. As the season was suspended, Villa were two points from safety and still in with a shot at survival. Without the efforts of Grealish, however, they might have been down by Christmas.
Such has been the 24-year-old’s performance this season that there has been an increasing clamour for Gareth Southgate to give him a chance for England. Unfortunately, Grealish hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory during lockdown but he should still get that chance.
With seven league goals and six assists, Grealish has played a direct part in 13 of Villa’s 34 goals so far, 38% in total. He’s been superb and merits an attacking role in our alternative team of the season.
CM – Wilfried Ndidi (Leicester)
Leicester have become masters of turning players into superstars, selling them for huge fees and then replacing them with cheap alternatives who prove to be just as good. The did with it Harry Maguire and Caglar Soyuncu, James Maddison seems to be Riyad Mahrez’ spiritual successor and Wilfried Ndidi has more than filled the void left by N’Golo Kante.
Ndidi’s 91 tackles this season are more than any other midfielder had made and place him third in the league, behind only his teammate, Ricardo Pereira, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. With 61 interceptions and 61 clearances to boot, he has been pivotal in Leicester’s tough defensive efforts.
At just 23, his performances have earned links to Arsenal and Manchester United, though unless the season gets cancelled it seems unlikely that he would trade the lure of Champions League football at Leicester for a supposed bigger club.
LW – Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
It was a close call between Rashford and Son Heung-Min to play on the left but Rashford gets the nod after a wonderful season in which he has put to bed any doubts about whether that early hype was unfounded.
With 14 goals to his name, Rashford looked set to become the first Manchester United player to net 20+ goals in a season since Robin van Persie in the 2012/13 campaign. However, his chances looked to have been dashed after he suffered a double stress fracture in his back in January.
Rashford’s best position is clearly on the left behind a central striker and we are now seeing the best of him for United and England. Supposedly he is nearing a return from injury and, should the season resume, he could yet put himself in contention to win the Golden Boot.
RW – Adama Traore (Wolves)
The muscular Spaniard has been unplayable at points this season, earning himself links with a move to Liverpool. These days, that is high praise indeed.
Four goals and seven assists mean he has directly contributed to 26% of Wolves season tally, only central striker Raul Jimenez has added more.
Traore’s pace is absolutely frightening, especially considering his size. He has been recorded at running as quickly as 22.99mph, which makes him the fastest player in the Premier League and possibly the world. However, what truly makes him a defender’s worst nightmare is his ability to control the ball as he runs.
His 145 successful dribbles this season are the most of any player in the Europe. In fact Wilfried Zaha (136), Lionel Messi (118) and Jeremie Boga (106) are the only other players in triple figures. An absolute beast.
ST – Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
Raul Jimenez will feel hard done by but it’s impossible not to pick Vardy for the team of the season, as he just keeps tearing up the rule book.
Unfashionable 33-year-old English strikers at non-elite clubs who were playing in the Conference until they were 25 are not supposed to be leading the race for the Premier League Golden Boot. But as he proved in 2015, Vardy and Leicester don’t follow the status quo.
The most remarkable aspect of Vardy’s 19 goals this season are that he missed three games through injury after Christmas which rocked his form and commenced a ten game streak without a goal. It was a run which was only broken in the final game before the season was postponed against Aston Villa, in which he netted a brace.
Were it not for the impact of that injury and the subsequent season suspension, Vardy might genuinely have been looking at a 30 goal season. Presumably he would settle for Champions League qualification and the Golden Boot, however.
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