After a long and arduous campaign, Manchester City have claimed their 3rd league title in 4 years while 10 points separated the teams from 3rd to 10th. On an individual level, there were plenty of exceptional performances over the season and today we are looking at the Premier League Team of the Season.
GK: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
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Emiliano Martinez has been one of the pillars of Aston Villa’s stellar season in the Premier League and has kept the third most clean-sheets this year with 15. According to advanced metrics from StatsBomb, Martinez has prevented 7.4 goals this season with his shot-stopping, the most out of any keeper in the league.
RB: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
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Joao Cancelo has often acted as a quasi-playmaker for City this season and has epitomized the transformation of a modern full-back. Cancelo has been solid defensively for City this year but it is going forwards where he has been such a threat. The Portuguese full-back is averaging 6.5 progressive passes and 8.6 progressive carries per 90 minutes and has often been Manchester City’s second most creative outlet after Kevin De Bruyne.
CB: John Stones (Manchester City)
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John Stones narrowly edges out his England teammate Harry Maguire for the second centre-back spot. Having ironed out the sloppy errors from his game, Stones has been one of the cornerstones of City’s title and has been excellent alongside Dias. Also, in a City team that hasn’t found goal-scoring to be as straightforward, Stones has been vital at the other end of the field as well with 4 goals this season.
CB: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
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The arrival of Ruben Dias has galvanised Manchester City this season and has been the catalyst behind their title campaign. Dias is the lynchpin that holds this Manchester City defence together and his calming presence at the back made everyone around him better. The Portuguese has also picked up the FWA Players of the year award for this season and his positional awareness, leadership and ball carrying abilities have been invaluable to Manchester City and Pep Guardiola.
LB: Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
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Luke Shaw has been the most improved player in the Premier League this season and has had his best season at Old Trafford since he arrived in 2014. Shaw has carried a lot of the creative burden for Manchester United down the left and has doubled his output this season. Shaw’s club performances have also earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England XI and the left-back will play a crucial role in England’s upcoming European Championships campaign.
CM: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
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The rise of Bruno Fernandes has continued into 2021 and his name is amongst the likes of Wayne Rooney and Eric Cantona when it comes to the most influential signings in Manchester United’s illustrious history. Fernandes has 18 goals and 12 assists this season and has topped the charts when it comes to chance creation, with the Portuguese registering the most big chances throughout the campaign.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
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In the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling, it was Ilkay Gundogan who stood up for Manchester City throughout the busy winter months to lead the title charge. The German international mastered the art of the late run into the box and stunningly ended the season as City’s top scorer with 13 goals.
CM: Mason Mount (Chelsea)
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In a summer that included marquee signings such as Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz, no one would have predicted that Chelsea’s player of the season would be their academy product, Mason Mount. Mount has been their most consistent player by far, flourishing under both Lampard and Tuchel. His outstanding ability in the final third and calmness on the ball was vital for Chelsea finishing in the top four and securing a place in the final of the Champions League.
RW: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
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After starring on the right of the midfield three for the past few years at the Etihad, De Bruyne displayed his versatility this season and often played as a number 10, on the wing or even as a false nine depending on the opposition. De Bruyne’s silky passing and unbelievable technique was a joy to watch and the Belgian ended the season with 6 goals and 20 assists.
LW: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
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Despite missing the last leg of the season due to injury, Jack Grealish still makes the cut due to his fantastic form in the first half of the campaign where he was arguably the best player in the league. Grealish registered 10 assists and 6 goals this season and was only second to Kevin De Bruyne in terms of chances created per 90 minutes. His importance to Aston Villa can be seen by the fact that Dean Smith’s side scored 40 goals in the 24 starts Grealish made in the league, compared to only 15 goals in the 14 games he did not feature.
ST: Harry Kane (Tottenham)
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Harry Kane added another level to his game this season to combine excellent playmaking and vision to go along with his goal-scoring prowess. Kane picked up his third golden boot award this season with 23 goals for Tottenham and more impressively also ended the season with the most assists (14). Kane is only the third player to achieve this feat and in an otherwise disappointing season for Spurs, the England captain was the main saving grace.
[Image Credit: Manchester City]
Shivaan Shah