Premier League (TOTS): Team Of The Season

Introduction

The Premier League season 2020/21 has finally come to end. Manchester City was crowned as Champions, their fifth title in ten years. Manchester United secured the second spot, only for the second time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. With first and second spots secured, it was the race for Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League places, which made the final matchday interesting as seven teams were battling for these spots. Liverpool and Chelsea took the most prized spot (UCL qualification), West Ham and Leicester City qualified for Europa League, whereas Tottenham Hotspur secured their place for the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League. Arsenal & Everton missed out on their chances whereas, Leicester City failed to qualify for the Champions League for the second season in a row.

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With the league wrapped up, We at Ball That Matters looks at the stand-out individual performances of the players, who have been consistent and impressive throughout the season. Here are the players who have made it to our PL Team Of The Season (TOTS) 2020/21.

(**Note: Our TOTS has been selected on the basis of voting**)

Goalkeeper

Edouard Mendy

The Senegalese shot-stopper was signed from Rennes on a five-year deal. Prior to his signing, Chelsea was struggling for clean sheets and Frank Lampard was losing his faith and patience with Kepa Arrizabalaga. Ever since Mendy’s addition, the goalkeeper has kept 16 clean sheets throughout the PL season and has also been very impressed with his stop-stopping abilities.

Defenders

RB: Joao Cancelo

The Portuguese defender impressed even after making limited appearances in the league. Cancelo made 28 appearances in the league this season and has helped the team to keep 13 clean sheets out of his total appearances. The defender has played a pivotal role in the defense and has also scored twice and have provided 3 assists. Cancelo has also been one of the most disciplined defenders, with no red cards and only five yellows throughout the season.

CB: John Stones

The stubborn English Centre-back boasts an impressive statistic this season. Stones has been resolute in the heart of the defense for Manchester City. What edges him over the other defenders like Kurt Zouma, Victor Lindelof is his consistent performances even with only 22 appearances. Out of his 22 appearances, the Cityzen’s have managed to keep 14 clean sheets from those games. John Stones has also been in the score sheet at the other end four times this season.

CB: Rúben Dias

The young defender has been a stand-out performer throughout the season. For many, he is also the potential winner for the “Player Of The Season” award. Rúben Dias has been instrumental in the defense for the newly crowned Champions. The center-back has made 32 appearances and has helped his team in keeping 15 clean sheets. Manchester City has conceded only 22 goals whenever Dias has been at the heart of the defense.

LB: Luke Shaw

The stand-out candidate this season for this position has to be Luke Shaw. The English defender has had a tumultuous time at the beginning of his Manchester United career. Luke Shaw since then has vastly improved his performances, so much so that he is undroppable at the moment for the Red Devils. With 187 recoveries, 147 duels won, and zero errors leading to a goal, Shaw has been one of the most consistent defenders in the league this season.

Midfielders

Ilkay Gündogan

The German midfielder had a quiet start for the first two months of the season however, his performances peaked as the season progressed. Gündogan proved to be the game-changer by scoring a lot of important goals for the Cityzen’s this season. Ilkay Gündogan made 28 appearances this season and has scored 13 goals, has provided 2 assists, and has created 3 big chances throughout the season.

Kevin De Bryune

Another Manchester City addition and it would have been surprising if Kevin De Bryune did not find his name in the PL TOTS. Even though he has not had that great of a season by his standards, he has still surpassed the other contenders like Thiago Alcantara, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech by some margin. He has perfectly fulfilled the no. 8 roles by scoring 6 goals and providing 12 assists, in his 25 appearances. The Belgian midfielder also created 19 big chances throughout the season.

Bruno Fernandes

Termed as  “The Talisman” for the Red Devils, Bruno Fernandes has completely transformed Manchester United, since his arrival at the club. The Portuguese attacking midfielder has had an amazing season. He has scored 18 goals and has provided 12 assists in 37 appearances. Bruno Fernandes also created 20 big chances for his team, most by any midfielder in the league this season.

Forwards

ST: Harry Kane

The TOTS just cannot be complete without this English striker. Harry Kane won the PL Golden Boot (for the third time) and Playmaker Of The Season award, on the last day of the season. Harry Kane has been absolutely sensational upfront. The center forward scored 23 goals and provided 14 assists, in his 35 appearances for his club.

RW: Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian King has time and again shown, why he is considered as one of the most elite forwards. Even though Liverpool had their ups and downs throughout the season, Mo Salah was one of the players, who always scored in the crucial games, at the crucial moments. The right forward has scored 22 goals and has provided 5 assists. Mo Salah also created 12 big chances for his team, throughout the season.

LW. Hueng-Min SON

The South Korean speedster has time and again proved himself at the highest level. Hueng-Min SON has been absolutely phenomenal on the left side. Even though Tottenham Hotspur has been inconsistent and had their challenges, two players have absolutely stood out from the team, one of them is SON. The left forward has scored 17 goals and has provided 10 assists, in 37 appearances. He also created 14 big chances for his team.

Final Team

Honourable Mentions

There were few other players who have missed the bus, but have had a very good season individually. It would be unfair, if we let them go uncredited. We really wish if we could have added these players in our TOTS. The players who missed the bus are:

• Ederson
• Emi Martinez
• Aaron Wan Bissaka
• Ngolo Kante
• Riyad Mahrez
• Harry Maguire
• Declan Rice
• Wilfried Ndidi
• Vladimir Coufal
• Thiago Silva
• Phil Foden
• Patrick Bamford

Conclusion

With an exciting PL season coming to an end, and even more interesting summer transfer window awaits. With so many big names like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Harry Kane on the transfer radar, it’s going to be an intense transfer window. All the clubs will look forward to bolstering their weakness areas. While Manchester City tipped go all-out guns blazing again, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea will not be behind. The fate of the summer transfer window of these clubs may be decided by the Europa as well Champions League finals. After all, it’s the silverware that attracts the stars.

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