“We Neapolitans are like the South Americans of Europe: poor but proud. We try to take care of one another. It’s why Diego felt at home here. He was one of us and still is, even if he became a God in Naples.“
Diego Maradona, FIFA Player of the Century, was the most mesmerising, albeit unprofessional, of the footballing GOATs. He dazzled fans and bamboozled defences with his craftiness and grit. Carrying ten Argentines on his short, squat back, he took his revenge on England for the Falklands War with his ‘Hand of God’ on his way to victory in the 1986 World Cup.A messy exit from Barcelona was redeemed by a seven-year stint at Napoli in the 1980s where he reinvigorated the team and brought pride and success to the city.
Diego Maradona playing for Napoli
Italy was long divided between the rich north and the poor south. Northern economic powerhouses like Turin, Rome and Milan boasted the best football teams with Juventus, Roma, Inter and AC Milan dominating Serie A. A Neapolitan explained their rivalry with Juve. “It’s not only a rivalry between two football teams. It’s also a rivalry between the richer, business-driven, productive side of society and those of us from the south, who were always migrants or immigrants.” Before Maradona captained Napoli, no club from the south of the Italian Peninsula had ever won the league.
Maradona arrived in 1984 in poverty-ridden Naples, a city controlled by the mafia that was yet to recover from a destructive earthquake a few years earlier. The little Argentine’s enthusiastic embrace of the local cocaine-infused, party lifestyle with the Camorra Capocrimine left fans needing little imagination to speculate on the source of his record-breaking transfer fee from Barcelona but as the local newspaper stated, they were not concerned. Despite the lack of a “mayor, houses, schools, buses, employment and sanitation, none of this matters because we have Maradona”.
Argentina was a destination for hundreds of thousands of impoverished southern Italian men in the late 19th and early 20th century. Indeed, in Lunfardo, Italian/Argentine slang, spoken in Buenos Aires, tano (from Napolitano) is how the many people of Italian descent are still described today.
Maradona never forgot his roots growing up in poverty. He lived in a shack without running water and once fell into an open sewage pit. He said, “I want to be the idol of the poor kids of Naples because they are just like me as a youngster in Villa Fiorito”. One Napoli fan, fortunate enough to know Diego personally, since his mother worked for him, said “when he saw us, we reminded him of his Argentine family. In fact, he called my mother his ‘mamma Napoletana.”
Maradona rapidly became a loved figure in Naples with his showmanship on and off the pitch, hauling the club to their first-ever Serie A title in 1986/87. Sportswriter David Goldblatt wrote, “The celebrations were tumultuous. A rolling series of impromptu street parties and festivities broke out contagiously across the city in a round-the-clock carnival that ran for over a week. The Neapolitans held mock funerals for Juventus and Milan, burning their coffins, their death notices announcing ‘May 1987, the other Italy has been defeated. A new empire is born.”
However, it was always more than just football for the Neapolitans. “When I was young the city was only known for Camorra and crime. He gave us a new identity, and made the world see that Naples was worth something” said Napoli supporter Giuseppe Nappo following the death of Maradona in November 2020. It had always been a city full of culture, character and spirit but the world never saw it as such until Maradona arrived. He brought joy to the city of Naples that had been blighted by natural disaster and crime and he helped to put it on a level playing field with the big cities of the north. His legacy will forever be instilled in the Neapolitan culture. He is one of just three honorary citizens of Naples and the Napoli fans still chant his name passionately at every game; an ode for single-handedly restoring pride in their city.
A young Napoli fan mourns the death of Diego Maradona
During the 1990 World Cup, Maradona attempted to get the Neapolitans to support Argentina versus Italy in a semi-final match at Napoli’s stadium. It was a step too far for the Italian media with whom relations broke down in recriminations over his drug abuse, unsavoury connections and ill-discipline, resulting in his exit to Sevilla. Although he didn’t transform the loyal Napoli fans into Argentines, with his golden touch and compassion for their city, Maradona became the favourite son of Naples, reinstilled with pride.
As an exciting Premier League season concludes and we edge closer to another campaign, it would only be right to reflect on 2019/20 and rate every teams performance. It was an exciting campaign with some unprecedented circumstances including he introduction of VAR and the first time a Premier League season has ever halted. With that being said, here are Half-Time Orange’s ratings for every Premier League team last season.
AFC Bournemouth: 2/10
League Position: 18th
Top Scorer: Callum Wilson (8)
League Cup: 3rd round FA Cup: 4th round
Europe: N/A
Bournemouth had an extremely poor season, especially for a team with such quality in their squad. Ryan Fraser, Nathan Ake, Callum Wilson are all excellent players who didn’t perform. After a series of terrible results, Bournemouth didn’t manage to stay up. Their saving grace was a couple of great wins against Manchester United and Leicester as well as a draw against Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham.
Arsenal: 7/10
League Position: 8th
Top Scorer: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (29)
League Cup: 4th round FA Cup: Winners
Europe: Europa League Round of 32
Arsenal had a rather mixed season. There was a period in Arsenal’s turbulent season where over the course of 18 Premier League games, they won just three times. Record signing Nicolas Pepe didn’t make any impact for the first few months of the season and after a dreadful start, short-lived manager Unai Emery was sacked. There was even a period in Arsenal’s turbulent season where over the course of 18 Premier League games, they won three times. He was replaced by Mikel Arteta, Manchester City’s assistant manager and Arsenal’s ex-captain. Arteta instilled a new mentality into the club and immediately there was a noticeable feel-good vibe coming out of the club. A strong start to 2020 came with a coming of age victory over Manchester United in the league and Arsenal progressed further in the FA Cup, beating Leeds and Manchester City. They failed to progress in the Europa League with a shock defeat to Greek outfit Olympiakos however they proceeded to win the FA Cup, beating London rivals Chelsea. The development of young talents Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli was really promising and the ever reliable Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a fantastic season. Despite the unflattering league finish, Arsenal are heading in the right direction!
Striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Aston Villa: 5/10
League Position: 17th
Top Scorer: Jack Grealish (10)
League Cup: Runners-Up FA Cup: 3rd round
Europe: N/A
Aston Villa survived the drop which is the most important thing for them as a club. Surprisingly, they also managed to reach the final of the League Cup where only the brilliance of Manchester City got in the way of Villa and the trophy, an impressive feat nonetheless! Villa struggled in the league, especially away from home and they often relied on the magic of Jack Grealish to get them out of though situations. Keinan Davis emerged as a promising talent, John McGinn proved his importance to Villa and Tyrone Mings proved himself enough for Gareth Southgate to call him up for the England squad. There are a lot of things that Dean Smith can work on for next season but it was a respectable season.
Captain Jack Grealish
Brighton: 4.5/10
League Position: 15th
Top Scorer: Neal Maupay (10)
League Cup: 3rd round FA Cup: 3rd round
Europe: N/A
Many critics didn’t give Brighton any chance of staying up but contrary to popular predictions, Brighton stayed up. The simple but effective tactics of boss Graham Potter gave Brighton a new way of playing and some huge wins over Tottenham and Arsenal helped them stay in the top flight for the 2020/2021 campaign. No players had particularly outstanding seasons but the development of Tariq Lamptey was nice to see and Neal Maupay performed well in his first season at the top level of English football.
Burnley: 6/10
League Position: 10th
Top Scorer: Chris Wood (14)
League Cup: 2nd round FA Cup: 4th round
Europe: N/A
Burnley are the football equivalent of an English Breakfast Tea. You more or less always know what you’re going to get, it’s reliable, not too exciting but it does the job. Burnley didn’t exceed nor underwhelm in this campaign. Young winger Dwight McNeil impressed during this campaign and caught the eye of other clubs across the nation. The old-school, defensive tactics of Sean Dyche led Burnley to a very respectable top half finish. No complaints, well done Burnley.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche
Chelsea: 7.5/10
League Position: 4th
Top Scorer: Tammy Abraham (18)
League Cup: 4th round FA Cup: Runners-Up
Champions League: Round of 16
UEFA Super Cup: Runners-Up
Considering Chelsea had a transfer ban going into this season, they performed marvellously. New manager and club legend Frank Lampard used his resources fantastically and instead of opting for older veterans, Lampard gambled on breeding the younger players and it paid off. Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Reece James all played a crucial part in Chelsea’s top four hunt and new signings Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic proved their worth. Despite the exciting new wave of talent at the club, Chelsea’s defence continued to be a problem throughout the season. Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga had the worst shots on target to goal ratio and they continually faced problems at left-back and centre-back. All in all, it was a good season for The Blues.
Crystal Palace: 5/10
League Position: 14th
Top Scorer: Jordan Ayew (9)
League Cup: 2nd round FA Cup: 3rd round
Europe: N/A
Only one team scored less than Crystal Palace the whole season but they still came 12th which is a testament to their solid defence and tight knit tactics. Palace finished in a respectable position in the league, not really surprising anyone and successfully stayed away from any relegation fears throughout the season. Not bad from Palace but attacking options and a creative midfielder being signed this summer is an absolute must!
Patrick van Aanholt scoring the winner at Old Trafford
Everton: 5.5/10
League Position: 12th
Top Scorer: Richarlison &
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (15 each)
League Cup: Quarter-Finals FA Cup: 3rd round
Europe: N/A
Everton’s season started rather dismally, regularly finding themselves narrowly above the relegation zone. They weren’t helped by a horrific Andre Gomes injury and the season continued to worsen. After a 5-2 drubbing at Anfield in early December, manager Marco Silva was sacked and replaced with three-time Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti. Boosted by the Italians arrival, Everton went on a hot spell through the festive fixtures inspired by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison and from that point onwards they performed acceptably for the rest of the season. Everton did find themselves facing some problems however which Ancelotti will have to deal with over the ‘summer’ transfer window. Everton’s ageing midfield consistently performed below what a club of that magnitude would desire. Attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson was once an excellent creative force but it seems he will now need replacing. If Ancelotti can sign a right-back, two midfielders and a back-up goalkeeper to provide competition for the erratic Jordan Pickford, the Toffees will look a real force next season!
Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Leicester: 7/10
League Position: 5th
Top Scorer: Jamie Vardy (23)
League Cup: Semi-Finals
FA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Europe: N/A
For a long time Leicester were the closest team to Liverpool in the title race but they deteriorated as the campaign ran its course. Jamie Vardy was at his best and despite people thinking they would be weakened by Harry Maguire’s departure, a commendable replacement in Caglar Soyuncu arose and immediately became a fan favourite. Leicester managed to beat Southampton 0-9, the joint highest score ever in Premier League history which is a marvellous achievement. Although they were in the Top 4 for a long time, Leicester did well to qualify for Europe and have a few cup runs.
Ben Chilwell and Demarai Gray
Liverpool: 9/10
League Position: 1st
Top Scorer: Mohamed Salah (23)
League Cup: Quarter-Finals FA Cup: 5th round
Champions League: Round of 16
FA Community Shield: Runners-Up
FIFA Club World Cup: Winners
UEFA Super Cup: Winners
For a long period of the season, it appeared that Liverpool could have the best season ever by a Premier League side. Liverpool started the season incredibly. The magic of their front three, Mo Salah, Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane could not stop scoring. Their tenacious full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold helped keep opposing attackers at bay as well as putting up ridiculous assist number. Defender Virgil Van Dijk proved why he’s quite possibly the worlds best as he dominated every attacker in the Premier League! Liverpool only dropped TWO points by the end of February, 29 games in! Unfortunately for Liverpool, this kind of form is not sustainable and it resulted in Liverpool falling short in other competitions. Whilst `Liverpool’s first team were winning the Club World Cup in Doha, their second team made up of youngsters lost 5-0 to Aston Villa in the League Cup. A jaded Liverpool side lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup and they failed to retain the Champions League, losing to Atletico Madrid before the season halted due to Covid-19. As the season resumed, Liverpool inevitably wrapped it up and won their first Premier League title with an insane 99 point tally. After they’d won it, Liverpool seemed to become relaxed about their campaign, dropping several points and club captain Jordan Henderson getting injured along the way. All in all, it was a tremendous campaign from Liverpool.
Manchester City: 8/10
League Position: 2nd
Top Scorer: Raheem Sterling (31)
League Cup: Winners
FA Cup: Semi-Finals
Champions League: Quarter-Finals
FA Community Shield: Winners
This was a very good season from Manchester City, don’t get me wrong, however it didn’t match the high standards that Pep Guardiola has set at the club over the last two seasons. Most importantly, they failed to retain the Premier League title, although this was inevitable after around ten matchweeks due to the sheer brilliance of Liverpool. City lost games that fans would never expect them to, away at Norwich, at home AND away to Wolves, away to Southampton and it seemed their league position was sealed from October. Star defender Aymeric Laporte was injured for a large portion of the season and when he returned, it was clear that he was what City had missed. Due to the brilliance of their talented squad, in particular Kevin de Bruyne the Belgian midfield maestro, City managed to retain the League Cup and Community Shield as well as still attain 81 points and score 102 league goals. Raheem Sterling proved to the world why he is world class, Riyad Mahrez bossed the wing position and the emergence of young Spanish defender Eric Garcia and silky English attacking midfielder Phil Foden was great to see as well. Unfortunately, City couldn’t beat Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the FA Cup and lost catastrophically to Lyon in the Champions `League, failing to reach the Semi-Finals once again.
Manchester United: 7/10
League Position: 3rd
Top Scorer: Anthony Martial (23)
League Cup: Semi-Finals FA Cup: Semi-Finals
Europe: Europa League Semi-Final
After Manchester United’s worst Premier League start ever, the Red Devils did fantastically well to qualify for the Champions League. Star midfielder Paul Pogba was injured for the majority of the season and several injuries to Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial also provided issues as well. United lost games to Watford, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Newcastle all before losing to Burnley in January. After such a dreadful run of results, United needed a creative spark and they signed midfielder £47m Bruno Fernandes who revitalised their campaign. Fernandes didn’t lose a Premier League game and immediately took the Red Devils on an 11 match unbeaten streak including wins over Chelsea and Manchester City before the season was halted. After the season resumed, Solskjaer found his best team. Wan-Bissaka was immense in defense and faith in Mason Greenwood proved worthwhile as the 18 year old ripped up the league. Despite having a strong first team, United lacked in squad depth and the jaded squad couldn’t overcome Chelsea in the FA Cup or Sevilla in the Europa League.
Newcastle: 5.5/10
League Position: 13th
Top Scorer: Miguel Almiron (8)
League Cup: 2nd round FA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Europe: N/A
Due to the arrival of Steve Bruce, Newcastle were written off by most before the season even began. However Newcastle secured a strong position in the league and never were threatened by relegation. Despite club record signing Joelinton being quite possibly the biggest flop of the season, new boy Allan Saint-Maximin dazzled defences on the wing and memorable wins over `Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham meant Newcastle can be proud of their season. They have a solid foundation, especially with Martin Dubravka, Jamal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez. In order to progress, Newcastle need to sign a proven goalscorer as their top goalscorer only scored eight goals in all competitions.
Fan Favourite Allan Saint-Maximin
Norwich: 2/10
League Position: 20th
Top Scorer: Teemu Pukki (11)
League Cup: 2nd round FA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Europe: N/A
A promising start to Norwich’s season saw Teemu Pukki soar to the top of the goalscorers charts and a huge 3-2 win over Manchester City showed that they were a side full of potential. Unfortunately, young talents Jamal Lewis, Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell couldn’t manage to keep Norwich afloat and they sunk to the bottom of the table. Tim Krul was one of the best goalkeepers in the league in the 2019/20 season and without him Norwich wouldn’t won a single game. They did manage to beat Tottenham in their own backyard to progress in the FA Cup which was a huge achievement. With Norwich’s young squad, expect them to be back soon!
Sheffield United: 7/10
League Position: 9th
Top Scorer: Lys Mousset and
Oliver McBurnie (6)
League Cup: 3rd round FA Cup: Quarter-Finals
Europe: N/A
For a newly promoted side, Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United were brilliant. They were hard to break down and they knew how to win games. They don’t have a particular stand out player and the squad comradery is fantastic. Sheffield United should sign, like Newcastle, a proven goalscorer as well as a creative midfielder to help bring more goals to an otherwise extremely solid team.
David McGoldrick scoring vs Chelsea
Southampton 5.5/10
League Position: 11th
Top Scorer: Danny Ings (25)
League Cup: 4th round FA Cup: 4th round
Europe: N/A
Southampton let in 15% of the goals they conceded during the entire Premier League season in just one game against Leicester when they lost 0-9 at St Mary’s. Despite the abysmal result, the Saints stuck with Ralph Hassenhutl and they thrived later in the season, in particular after football returned from the break for Covid-19. Danny Ings was excellent for Southampton, scoring 25 goals over the course of the season.
Danny Ings, Southampton’s top scorer
Tottenham Hotspur: 6/10
League Position: 5th
Top Scorer: Harry Kane (24)
League Cup: 3rd round FA Cup: 5th round
Europe: Champions League Round of 16
After serial winner Jose Mourinho arrived, there was a huge upturn in form after what had been a dismal start under Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs went from 14th place to 6th, qualifying for the Europa League. New signing Giovani Lo Celso proved to be a great signing for Tottenham although club record signing Tanguy Ndombele hasn’t yet demonstrated his full potential. Once again Harry Kane was Tottenham’s top scorer and Heung-Min Son also had a brilliant campaign, being one of two players to score and assist ten goals in the league. Spurs however were disappointing once again in the cups. Under Pochettino, they lost to Colchester in the 3rd round and under Mourinho they lost to Norwich in the FA Cup. They never convinced in the Champions League as they lost 2-7 to Bayern Munich and failed to score against RB Leipzig in the Champions League Round of 16. Mourinho didn’t have a full season in the 2019/20 campaign so expect Spurs to rise up to the challenge of a trophy next season under his leadership.
Watford 2.5/10
League Position: 19th
Top Scorer: Danny Ings (10)
League Cup: 4th round FA Cup: 3rd round
Europe: N/A
By the 6th December, Watford hadn’t exited the relegation zone once and having sacked Quique Sanchez Flores and Javi Gracia, they appointed Nigel Pearson. Pearson made an instant impact, beating Manchester United and taking the Hornets on a six match unbeaten streak, leading them out of the relegation zone. After stunning the previously unbeaten Liverpool at Vicarage Road in February thanks to a fantastic team performance including magic from Ismaila Sarr and Troy Deeney, it seemed Watford’s fate was sealed. Watford were narrowly hovering above the relegation zone with two games ago when they made the decision to sack Nigel Pearson, the man who took them out of the relegation zone. They lost their final two games, demoted back to the Championship for the first time in five years and everyone remains puzzled as to why Pearson was sacked.
Ismaila Sarr celebrating his second goal for Watford in the 3-0 win over Liverpool
West Ham 4.5/10
League Position: 16th
Top Scorer: Michail Antonio (10)
League Cup: 3rd round FA Cup: 4th round
Europe: N/A
West Ham went through two purple patches during the season and as a result of that they are still in the top flight. Six games into the season, it seemed West Ham could be contenders for Europe as they garnered 11 points out of a possible 18. This hope was short-lived and West Ham went on a period of 23 games where they won just four times which saw manager Manuel Pellegrini leave the club to be replaced with David Moyes. Moyes didn’t have an immediate impact, he oversaw the club fall into the drop zone for three consecutive matchweeks. The signing of Jarrod Bowen from Hull helped West Ham to start carving out more results and after Project Restart, West Ham went through their second purple patch. With the signing of 6″4 midfielder Tomas Soucek, the Hammers picked up 12 points from their last six games and comfortably survived. Declan Rice demonstrated why he’s so sought after and Michail Antonio could not be tamed, he scored the most goals of anyone after the restart.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 6.5/10
League Position: 7th
Top Scorer: Raul Jimenez (27)
League Cup: 4th round FA Cup: 3rd round
Europe: Europa League Quarter-Finals
During their 383 day season, Wolves performed valiantly. They played the most games out of any team in the league and endured a campaign that lasted for over a year! Somehow, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men never seemed to tire and just kept going from strength to strength. Raul Jimenez bossed Europe and the Premier League and Adama Traore was possibly the most improved player of the year as he teared defences apart week in week out with his mesmerising speed and dribbling ability. Wolves gave every team in the league a run for their money when they played and they beat Manchester City twice! Pedro Neto also appeared to be an excellent young prospect, Diogo Jota had a good season and Portuguese Ruben Neves was consistently superb. Their season came to an end when they failed to beat Sevilla, the eventual winners of the Europa League. Wolves were fantastic this season and possess a first-rate squad to develop next year.
Adama Traore celebrates scoring against Manchester City
With the announcement that the Premier League is returning in less than three weeks, excitement has intensified regarding the first games back which reportedly includes Manchester City vs Arsenal. All teams are going to have their full roster available despite any previous injuries and it is going to make for a thrilling Top 4 battle and a cosmic clash for survival at the bottom. In this article, we are going to share our Team of the Season (so far) and who we think could break in after these last ten games. Tell us who you think should be in the Team of the Season on Twitter here!
Goalkeeper: Alisson – Liverpool
Despite being injured for a number of games early in the season, Allison has had a fantastic season for Liverpool yet again. He’s kept ten clean sheets and boasts an impressive 80.4% save percentage, amongst the best in the league. He has made some outstanding saves and he is in a great position to win the Golden Glove for the second year in a row.
Allison in action for Liverpool in the 2019/20 season
Honourable mentions:
Dean Henderson:The 22 year old goalkeeper on-loan at Sheffield United has enjoyed a marvellous debut season in the Premier League. He has made some truly astonishing saves and has kept ten clean sheets, the second highest in the league. Many Manchester United fans are hoping that Henderson will replace an ageing David De Gea in the years to come.
Nick Pope:Burnley’s English shotstopper leads the Premier League so far for clean sheets and has experienced an excellent campaign with The Clarets.
Right-Back: Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool
The Scouse right-back has just gone from strength to strength over the course of the last few seasons. Alexander-Arnold’s wicked crosses cause mayhem and place fear in the opposition’s penalty area and he has already racked up an enormous 12 assists this season. For a defender, that is truly remarkable!
Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrating scoring against Leicester
Honourable mentions:
Aaron Wan-Bissaka:Manchester United’s £50 million signing has seemed to have made a difference at Old Trafford and has instantly become a fan-favourite. With his menacing pace, he has proved seemingly impossible to beat in a one-on-one situation and he proved this in two brilliant duels against Raheem Sterling!
Ricardo Pereira:Pereira has had a great campaign with Leicester. He does it all. He defends and attacks effortlessly and tirelessly. He has made the most tackles in the Premier League this season and has chipped in with three goals and has created five big chances.
Centre-Backs: Virgil Van-Dijk – Liverpool & Caglar Soyuncu – Leicester
Virgil Van Dijk is undoubtably the best defender in the world. Van Dijk has transformed Liverpool into a decent side to one of the world’s best. This season he has lead Liverpool to the best defensive record in the league and helped them to be on track for the highest points ever achieved. The Dutch defender makes it all look so effortless and he truly is a world class footballer.
Virgil Van Dijk celebrating for `Liverpool
When Leicester sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United for £80 million late in the summer of 2019, there was a collective doubt whether Leicester would be able to replace him with no time left in the window. They weren’t able to buy anyone but that didn’t matter as his replacement was already at the club, Caglar `Soyuncu. With his tough tackling style and commanding style, Leicester fans have become enamoured with Soyuncu. He has impressed during his first season as a starter and he makes it into our Team of The Season (so far).
Caglar Soyuncu playing for Leicester
Honourable mentions:
Harry Maguire:Maguire has been commanding presence in United’s defence and has helped them improve their defensive record. In the ultimate weeks before the postponement of the season, United had really found their feet and started to keep clean sheets more frequently. In the remaining games of the season. Maguire could definitely help United push for a Top 4 finish.
Aymeric Laporte:Laporte wouldn’t make it anywhere near a Team of the Season (so far) as he has been out with injuries for a while. However, despite being injured for a vast amount of the season, Manchester City look so much better with him in their defence and in the remainder of the season he is going to be a key figure for Manchester City.
Left-Back: Andy Robertson – Liverpool
He’s dependable, he’s passionate and he constantly creates chances, what more could you want from a left-back. Robertson has been great this season and has seven assists which for a defender is fantastic.
Andy Robertson in action for Liverpool
Central Midfielders: Jordan Henderson – Liverpool & Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City
Jordan Henderson is everything one could possible desire in a captain. He leads the team well and he is the engine in the heart of the Liverpool side. He makes everything tick. When he was missing in the last few games of the season, it was clear what the team was missing and the impact he truly has was visible. He has experienced his best season to date and he makes it into our team without a shadow of a doubt.
Jordan Henderson playing for Liverpool
Kevin De Bruyne, what a player. For me, he is the best player in the Premier League. The passes that he makes, his powerful shooting, his creativity, he is simply wonderful. This season he has made sixteen assists and with nine games left, this puts him in great stead to break the all-time assists record (20) set by Thierry Henry. He has also scored eight goals and in some matches has carried Manchester City to the win.
Kevin De Bruyne, what a player
Honourable mentions:
Mateo Kovacic:Kovacic has been great to watch this season. He has improved so much and has been a key figure in Chelsea’s midfield.
Bruno Fernandes:What an impact Fernandes has had to this Manchester United side. He drives the team, he sprays passes around, he scores goals and he brings energy to the side. United went from a painful team to watch to an exciting one within the space of two weeks when he signed. In the last games, Fernandes could push United to that Top 4 finish.
Central Attacking Midfield: Jack Grealish – Aston Villa
Playing in a weak side that are constantly fighting for survival, Jack Grealish has been a shining light in an otherwise poor Aston Villa season. His silky dribbling and flair is so enjoyable to watch and it is no surprise he has been relentlessly linked to Manchester United. What a season he has had!
Jack Grealish of Aston Villa
Honourable mentions:
James Maddison:Maddison is a fantastic player and has been good again this season for The Foxes. He creates dozens of chances and is a key player in the Leicester side.
Emiliano Buendia: Playing in a severely depleted team, Buendia has managed to impress with his quality passes and seven assists. He has put up some of the best numbers in the league when it comes to chances created and if Norwich get relegated there is no doubt he will be snapped up by a top flight club in Europe.
Left-Winger: Sadio Mane – Liverpool
Sadio Mane has been truly superb during Liverpool’s title run. He has come up with some important goals and assists and he is their second top scorer with 14 goals. Mane has enjoyed what is probably his best season yet and he has put up a campaign worthy of a Player of the Season nomination.
Sadio Mane celebrating for Liverpool
Honourable mentions:
Marcus Rashford:Rashford has has his most prolific season yet despite being injured since `January. When the season returns, he is likely to break the 20 goal mark, especially now that Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba are going to be playing with him too.
Heung-Min Son: Heung-Min Son has been exceptional this season. When he got injured against Aston Villa, Tottenham’s season crumbled and it showed how crucial he is.
Striker: Jamie Vardy – Leicester
Jamie Vardy has consistently been one of the best striker’s in the league for about five years and this season he leads the scoring charts with 19. He has been key to getting Leicester into 3rd place and I’m sure he’ll break the 25 goals mark once he starts playing again.
Jamie Vardy celebrating for Leicester
Honourable mentions:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang:The Gabonese striker is frankly exceptional. He carries Arsenal! Without his goals, Arsenal would be 19th. Of course, this statistic is futile as someone else could have scored the goals but it shows how heavily Arsenal rely of Aubameyang.
Sergio Aguero: If this man never got injured, he would break Alan Shearer’s goal record. He has been brilliant this season and has shown once again why he is one of the best strikers in the world.
Right-Winger: Mohammed Salah – Liverpool
Salah has consistently been outstanding for three seasons now and this season he was no different. He is Liverpool’s top scorer with 16 goals and has six assists as well. The Egyptian King is a class act and he is criminally underrated amongst Premier League watchers.
The Egyptian King celebrates scoring against Manchester City
Honourable mentions:
Riyad Mahrez:Riyad Mahrez is one of my favourite players to watch in the whole world. His dazzling dribbling skills are wonderful and his seven goals and eight assists so far is no mean feat. It’s even more impressive as he has to rotate with Raheem Sterling!
Adama Traore: Is there a better dribbler in the league than this man? His pace makes him one of the deadliest forces in the league and this season, with improvement on his end-product, he has been excellent.
Half-Time Orange 