The Corona Virus has brought a halt to football around the world and with that, debates on the greatest XIs have been all over social media. I've come up with my own one, here is my attempt at a Premier League XI - Using One Player Per Club. This is not a team of the season, player’s performances in the 2019/20 season will obviously impact my decision process but other factors have been considered.
Goalkeeper:
Dean Henderson (Sheffield United)
There are few players who have seen their stock rise higher this season than the 23-year-old goalkeeper. Sheffield United were backed heavily to go straight back down to the Championship by bookies and pundits but they have proven them all wrong, currently sat comfortably in the top half of the table. Henderson's 10 clean sheets (2nd most in the league this season) have been a key part of the Blades' success. His performances have led to calls for him to take over Jordan Pickford as England's no.1 and he could also soon be providing competition for David De Gea as well when he returns back to his parent club this summer.
Right Back:
Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City)
With one of the signings of the 2018/19 season, Ricardo Pereira has been nothing short of a revelation since joining the Foxes. He has been quickly become one of the best full-backs in the league, with two very impressive seasons so far. His 119 tackles put him top of the league for tackles, which is 20 tackles ahead of second-placed Wan Bissaka. For as defensively solid as he is, it can sometimes overshadow how impressive he is going forward as well, he is always looking to get forward and offer Leicester another option out wide.
Centre Back:
Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)
Is there a better centre-back in the world right now? Probably not. There were very few people who didn’t raise their eyebrows at the £75m fee Liverpool paid Southampton for his services in January 2018. It proved to be worth every penny, he's turned into a monster at Anfield, his incredible 2018/19 campaign helped guide Liverpool to a sixth European Cup and saw him finish as PFA Player Of The Year and runner up for the Balon d'Or. He’s been a part of a defence that has conceded just 21 goals this season (fewest in the league), whilst being miles ahead of everyone in passing statistics (completing 483 more than second-placed Rodri). Van Dijk is already being compared to the Premier League all-time great centre-backs and it's easy to see why.
Centre Back:
Nathan Ake (Bournemouth)
One of the most difficult decisions I had was on who to have alongside Van Dijk, I ended up going for his fellow Dutch compatriot Nathan Ake. Bournemouth have had a disappointing season that has found themselves in a relegation battle, but one shining light throughout has been the 25-year-old centre-back. John Terry has recently come out and said that he asked Antonio Conte to drop him in order to give Ake some more game time, this shows how much belief Terry must have had in Ake's abilities. He has matured into a very solid centre-back since then and is constantly being linked with a move to Manchester City as they look to tighter up what has been an uncharacteristic leaky defence this season. I'm predicting an exciting next few years for the Dutchman.
Left Back:
Lucas Digne (Everton)
Digne came to Everton in the summer of 2018 from Spanish giants Barcelona for £18m. His first season at the club was a huge success, he replaced Leighton Baines in the starting lineup in October and went on to have a season which saw win both Everton’s Club and Player’s Player of the Year awards in his debut season. His run of form saw him regaining a starting spot in the highly competitive French national side. He created 71 chances, considerably the most of any defender in the league (20 ahead of second-placed Robertson). He has shown again this season under Ancelotti, that he’s one of the top left-backs in the league.
Central Defensive Midfielder:
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
I think it’s safe to say that this has been Kante’s most unproductive season in the league so far, but that is by no means an insult. Some may believe that the 29-year-old French midfielder may now be on the decline but I think there is still plenty of magic to come from him, which is why he's earned a place in my side. He hasn’t seemed to fit in well into Lampard’s system this season with Kovacic arguably outshining him but you can not simply overlook his previous 4 campaigns. His transfer to Leicester in the summer of 2015 played a huge role in taking Leicester from relegation candidates to Premier League title winners. His departure in the summer of 2016 to Chelsea coincided with a poor season for the Foxes and Chelsea rising up 9 places to win the league title. Wherever he’s gone success has followed, he broke into the national team and was a key member of France’s 2018 World Cup-winning campaign. His CV truly speaks for itself and will go down as an all-time Premier League great.
Central Attacking Mid:
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
I struggled to decide between Pogba and Fernandes but Bruno edges it due to the incredible turnaround United have had since his arrival, whilst Pogba still remains in the wilderness and destined for the exit. It’s incredible that it took until January for a team to snap the 25-year-old Portuguese international up, last season he scored an absolutely ludicrous 33 goals from midfield for Sporting Lisbon, not to mention 18 assists on top of that. United have been unbeaten since his arrival, he’s got 6 goal contributions in 8 games and won the Premier League Player Of The Month award in his first month in the league. This is most definitely a strong contender for Signing of the Season.
Central Attacking Midfielder:
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Eyebrows were raised when City splashed out a club-record fee at the time of £55m on the Belgian in 2015, as he had failed to shine in his previous stint in the Premier League at Chelsea. He took very little time to prove any doubters wrong, in October his string of impressive performances saw him listed on the 23 man shortlist for the Balon d'Or. His first season at the club he contributed 29 goals in a City team, that just sneaked into the top 4. He has gone on to be named in the UEFA Team of the Year on two occasions and has hit 20 assists marker in three seasons at City. Sky Sports Pundit Charlie Nicholas said recently “I have never seen a team as good as Manchester City being carried by an individual player”, De Bruyne sits comfortably at the top of the Premier League assists charts for this season with 17 so far after yet another dominant season. There is no better creative midfielder in the world than the Belgian.
Right Winger:
Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur)
Yet another Summer 2015 export from the Bundesliga, the 27-year-old South Korean international takes my right-wing spot. Son was slow to get going in his first season, struggling to cement a starting place in the side. The next season he showcased what he was capable of with 21 goals in all competitions in a season that saw Spurs have an unbeaten home record and finish second to a rampant Chelsea side. That still remains his highest goal tally for a season but he seemed destined to break that this season before his injury, he scored 16 in 32 games in all competitions. Despite the time he’s spent on the sidelines, only Kevin De Bruyne, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Riyad Mahrez have got more Premier League assists than the South Korean this season. Son was often the answer to the question of who the most underrated player in the league is, but now Son has made it simply impossible to not rate him amongst the top forwards in the division.
Striker:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
Where would Arsenal be without this guy’s goals? Aubameyang this season has scored 42.5% of the club’s league goals, keeping the Gunners' hopes of European football next season alive. Aubameyang has more than lived up to the £56m fee Arsenal paid back in January 2018; It took him very little time to get going with 10 goals in 13 games in the league that season. His first full season he picked up the Golden Boot award with 22 goals. It's easy to see why many of Europe's big dogs are interested in the striker, I wouldn't be surprised if Arsenal look to cash out on the player who turns 31 and has just a year to go on his contract. Aubameyang has shown no signs of slowing down just yet, so is bound to be a great signing for any suitors should Arsenal agree on an extension with the player.
Left Winger:
Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
Just like the first player on this list Dean Henderson, this has been a season that has season Grealish’s stock rise exponentially. Grealish has had his most productive season despite moving up a level and playing for a team in the midst of a relegation battle, with 17 goal contributions in all competitions. He was the quickest English player to contribute 15 goals in a season since Frank Lampard did 10 years ago (a season when Chelsea won the double). He has shown his ability to draw a foul, no player in the top 5 leagues has been fouled more than him this season. It’s only a matter of time until the England call up comes and there is bound to be many suitors for him this Summer, Villa have an uphill task keeping hold of their captain.
Bench:
Nick Pope (Burnley)
Adam Masina (Watford)
Lewis Dunk (Brighton)
Declan Rice (West Ham)
Emi Buendia (Norwich)
Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
Raul Jimenez (Wolves)
No keeper has kept more clean sheets than Nick Pope this season, he got given the chance to shine at Burnley when Tom Heaton got injured in the 2017/18 campaign and has not looked back since. There‘s not a huge depth of talent in the full-back position further down the Premier League, with teams in need of a full-back this summer seemingly turning their intentions to other European leagues. I’ve gone for Watford’s Italian left-back Adam Masina, who has started to put in a string of impressive performances since the appointment of manager Nigel Pearson. He was especially impressive in Watford’s 3-0 win over Liverpool before the break. I could have gone for Max Aarons as the backup full-back but I felt I had to have Emi Buendia as my Norwich representative in this team. Only Kevin De Bruyne has created more chances per 90 than the Argentine this season, which is incredible considering Buendia is playing for the team that is stuck at the bottom of the table. The winger also remarkably ranks 14th place for the number of tackles, which is more than PFA Player Of The Year front-runner Jordan Henderson. Buendia has completed the 3rd most amount of dribbles this season, with my next player on the bench Wilfred Zaha completing the 2nd most (more than a certain Lionel Messi). Zaha’s pace and flair are forever causing problems for opposition defenders across the league, since rejoining Palace there hasn’t been a player in the league who has won more penalties than him (16). Lewis Dunk gets a spot on the bench, a string of strong performances led to him breaking into the England side and also led to some big money offers last summer from Leicester as they looked to replace Harry Maguire. He played an essential role in Brighton’s survival last season.
Declan Rice provides the back up for Kante, people may have expected him to push on more this season but he’s quietly still been having a productive season for a team struggling near the bottom, he's second in Europe‘s top 5 leagues for winning possession in the midfield third (138). I was struggling to decide which Wolves player to go for so I decided to wait to see what was needed, I wanted a top-quality back up for Aubameyang and I believe I’ve got exactly that in Raúl Jimenez. The Mexican has contributed to 32 goals in all competitions for Wolves this season and his blistering form hasn’t gone unnoticed. He’s been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United as they look for their final piece of the puzzle, whilst on the other side of Manchester, City midfielder Ikay Gundogan this week said the striker is world-class and good enough to play for Manchester City. Wolves will be very keen to keep hold of the Mexican so a big offer would be needed to sway him away from Molineux.
So that’s my side, what’s yours? Let me on twitter @brandon_hamme. Hope you enjoyed the article.
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