Premier League Awards
By Patrick Zeng
@Roundtripper891
With the champions already having etched their name in history as well as three sides already knowing their demise from the premier league is complete, only a final spot in the coveted top four is left to shake out on the final Sunday of the season. And this leads us into awards season for the most interesting and exciting league in Europe.
Player of the Year- N'golo Kante
Is there any other answer? No player has impacted the past two title races more than Kante. He is the engine in the midfield that makes Antonio Conte's three at the back formation tick so efficiently, covering more ground than any player in the league. Kante averaged 2.36 tackles per game as well as 2.45 interceptions. Add these to the fact he had 0 defensive errors that led to a goal and the product is a midfield general that commanded Chelsea to yet another title.
Young Player of the Year- Dele Alli
Dele Alli's meteoric rise has only been furthered this past season. Building off the success of the 2015/16 campaign, Alli came out firing this season and his numbers are hard to look past. As great of an impact that Manchester City's Leroy Sane has had, Alli's seventeen goals and role as the perfect linkup man with Harry Kane is just too much to topple. Alli also adds five assists to his goal scoring tally and created 1.47 chances per game. But it is the goal scoring ability that is most eye catching. Alli as an attacking midfielder has lit up the premier league with his aforementioned seventeen goals displaying ruthless finishing and great physical prowess in the air.
Most surprising team- Everton
Hats off to West Brom as a close second to this award, but the blues have been very impressive this season. Currently on seventeen wins(equal to the amount of wins of Manchester United) Everton has been able to establish itself as the next team up after the highly acclaimed top six clubs. Romelu Lukaku has cemented himself as one of the premier league's top strikers on his way to what may be his first golden boot with twenty four goals, a two goal lead over Harry Kane entering the final game on Sunday. Everton have also discovered the talent of Tom Davies, a young Englishman who looks to play a prominent role in the future for the blues.
Most disappointing team- Manchester United
This one was easy. Even with the faltering of Arsenal for much of the season, their decline has not even been close to the shocking underachieving that Manchester United have reached this season. With over $150 million spent in the summer to revamp the squad for Jose Mourinho's maiden season in Manchester, the red devils have floundered in sixth place for much of the season. Even with the spectacular signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who netted seventeen league goals, United have struggled to score from anyone not named Zlatan. Mourinho's ultra conservative style in many games have led to an abundance of draws and a lack of a killer winning mentality. And then there is the flop of the most expensive signing in soccer history in Paul Pogba that has shown flashes of brilliance, but has really struggled to impact games in the ways expected of him.
Signing of the Season- N'golo Kante
If he is the player of the year, then he must be the signing of the season. Chelsea got an absolute bargain in signing Kante for only $30+ million in comparison to United's $100+ million signing of a midfielder that has not come close to the impact of Kante. Since Kante has already had so much written about him, focus should be shifted to Liverpool's signing of Sadio Mane who finished a distant second for this award. Liverpool are a completely different team without Mane in the lineup as his lighting quick pace and hunter like finishing with thirteen league goals coming as a winger show his star like ability and his price tag of around $34 million would be almost doubled if he were to be sold over the summer.
Team of the Season
Goal Keeper- Tom Heaton
Defenders- Toby Alderweireld, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill
Midfielders- Eden Hazard, N'golo Kante, Kevin De Bruyne, Dele Alli
Attackers- Romelu Lukaku, Sadio Mane, Harry Kane
Burnley's lone representative in the team of the season, Heaton has been fantastic this season. Heaton adds ten clean sheets to his league high 141 saves and has been a major part of Burnley avoiding relegation. Staying true to the current premier league campaign, three at the back seems fitting. Alderweireld has been a constant at the back for the team that has allowed the fewest amount of goals conceded this season due to his physical strength as well as his ability to match up with the league's top attackers. Azpilicueta and Cahill both are representatives from a heavily represented Chelsea squad. Azpilicueta made the switch from fullback to centerback this season and it has been absolutely seemless and Gary Cahill has added six goals to his fantastic defensive contributions in the Chelsea back three. Hazard has returned to the form that had the premier league buzzing two years ago with his pace and dribbling as well as his ability to score goals. On Kante there is not much more to say. He has easily been the best player in the league. De Bruyne is the man that makes Manchester City's attack hum at the pace that devastates opponents. His magician like abilities when passing as well as his ability to score makes him an unbelievable attacking midfielder and he leads the league in assists with fifteen. Also with the aforementioned Delli Alli, he has been phenomenal. A goal machine from the midfield as well as his goal creating abilities for his teammates, Alli is a simple choice to join this elite eleven. As discussed earlier, if it weren't for Kante, Sadio Mane would be the signing of the season. His frightening pace and ruthlessness in front of net makes Mane a nightmare for any defense. Lukaku came into his own this season and may now be clamoring for a move away from merseyside into so that his skills can be on display in the Champions League. The golden boot winner easily makes it into the team of the season. And finally that leaves Harry Kane. Kane just may be the man to break Allan Shearer's premier league record for most goals scored. All he has done since his introduction into the Spurs first team two years ago is score goals and that only continued this season, even with missing time due to injury, Kane sits on twenty two league goals.
@Roundtripper891
📸:www.hindustantimes.com
With the champions already having etched their name in history as well as three sides already knowing their demise from the premier league is complete, only a final spot in the coveted top four is left to shake out on the final Sunday of the season. And this leads us into awards season for the most interesting and exciting league in Europe.
Player of the Year- N'golo Kante
Is there any other answer? No player has impacted the past two title races more than Kante. He is the engine in the midfield that makes Antonio Conte's three at the back formation tick so efficiently, covering more ground than any player in the league. Kante averaged 2.36 tackles per game as well as 2.45 interceptions. Add these to the fact he had 0 defensive errors that led to a goal and the product is a midfield general that commanded Chelsea to yet another title.
Young Player of the Year- Dele Alli
Dele Alli's meteoric rise has only been furthered this past season. Building off the success of the 2015/16 campaign, Alli came out firing this season and his numbers are hard to look past. As great of an impact that Manchester City's Leroy Sane has had, Alli's seventeen goals and role as the perfect linkup man with Harry Kane is just too much to topple. Alli also adds five assists to his goal scoring tally and created 1.47 chances per game. But it is the goal scoring ability that is most eye catching. Alli as an attacking midfielder has lit up the premier league with his aforementioned seventeen goals displaying ruthless finishing and great physical prowess in the air.
Most surprising team- Everton
Hats off to West Brom as a close second to this award, but the blues have been very impressive this season. Currently on seventeen wins(equal to the amount of wins of Manchester United) Everton has been able to establish itself as the next team up after the highly acclaimed top six clubs. Romelu Lukaku has cemented himself as one of the premier league's top strikers on his way to what may be his first golden boot with twenty four goals, a two goal lead over Harry Kane entering the final game on Sunday. Everton have also discovered the talent of Tom Davies, a young Englishman who looks to play a prominent role in the future for the blues.
Most disappointing team- Manchester United
This one was easy. Even with the faltering of Arsenal for much of the season, their decline has not even been close to the shocking underachieving that Manchester United have reached this season. With over $150 million spent in the summer to revamp the squad for Jose Mourinho's maiden season in Manchester, the red devils have floundered in sixth place for much of the season. Even with the spectacular signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who netted seventeen league goals, United have struggled to score from anyone not named Zlatan. Mourinho's ultra conservative style in many games have led to an abundance of draws and a lack of a killer winning mentality. And then there is the flop of the most expensive signing in soccer history in Paul Pogba that has shown flashes of brilliance, but has really struggled to impact games in the ways expected of him.
Signing of the Season- N'golo Kante
If he is the player of the year, then he must be the signing of the season. Chelsea got an absolute bargain in signing Kante for only $30+ million in comparison to United's $100+ million signing of a midfielder that has not come close to the impact of Kante. Since Kante has already had so much written about him, focus should be shifted to Liverpool's signing of Sadio Mane who finished a distant second for this award. Liverpool are a completely different team without Mane in the lineup as his lighting quick pace and hunter like finishing with thirteen league goals coming as a winger show his star like ability and his price tag of around $34 million would be almost doubled if he were to be sold over the summer.
Team of the Season
Goal Keeper- Tom Heaton
Defenders- Toby Alderweireld, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill
Midfielders- Eden Hazard, N'golo Kante, Kevin De Bruyne, Dele Alli
Attackers- Romelu Lukaku, Sadio Mane, Harry Kane
Burnley's lone representative in the team of the season, Heaton has been fantastic this season. Heaton adds ten clean sheets to his league high 141 saves and has been a major part of Burnley avoiding relegation. Staying true to the current premier league campaign, three at the back seems fitting. Alderweireld has been a constant at the back for the team that has allowed the fewest amount of goals conceded this season due to his physical strength as well as his ability to match up with the league's top attackers. Azpilicueta and Cahill both are representatives from a heavily represented Chelsea squad. Azpilicueta made the switch from fullback to centerback this season and it has been absolutely seemless and Gary Cahill has added six goals to his fantastic defensive contributions in the Chelsea back three. Hazard has returned to the form that had the premier league buzzing two years ago with his pace and dribbling as well as his ability to score goals. On Kante there is not much more to say. He has easily been the best player in the league. De Bruyne is the man that makes Manchester City's attack hum at the pace that devastates opponents. His magician like abilities when passing as well as his ability to score makes him an unbelievable attacking midfielder and he leads the league in assists with fifteen. Also with the aforementioned Delli Alli, he has been phenomenal. A goal machine from the midfield as well as his goal creating abilities for his teammates, Alli is a simple choice to join this elite eleven. As discussed earlier, if it weren't for Kante, Sadio Mane would be the signing of the season. His frightening pace and ruthlessness in front of net makes Mane a nightmare for any defense. Lukaku came into his own this season and may now be clamoring for a move away from merseyside into so that his skills can be on display in the Champions League. The golden boot winner easily makes it into the team of the season. And finally that leaves Harry Kane. Kane just may be the man to break Allan Shearer's premier league record for most goals scored. All he has done since his introduction into the Spurs first team two years ago is score goals and that only continued this season, even with missing time due to injury, Kane sits on twenty two league goals.
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