The Premier League team of the season has been selected by Troy Deeney, and it is safe to say that there are a few players who came as a surprise.
Despite the fact that there are still nine games left in the season, it is never a bad idea to take a look at the players who have been the most impressive up to this point in the competition.
Deeney chose to play his team of the season in a 4-3-3 formation, which also included his selection for the best manager. He also chose to play his team in this formation.
In order to put together his squad, what criteria did the legendary Watford player use?
At the outset, Deeney desired to recognise and commend “consistency” throughout the entirety of the season.
Consequently, this indicates that players who had a strong beginning to the campaign but then lost their momentum or vice versa did not make the cut.
The injury record of a player was another important factor to consider.
Taking all of this into consideration, here is Deeney’s team of the season up to this point…
Matz Sels, played for Nottingham Forest, is the custodian.
In the season of dreams that Nottingham Forest has been experiencing, Matz Sels has been one of the brightest lights.
With 12 clean sheets and 22 punches, the Belgian is currently in first place among the goalkeepers union in terms of the most punches and clean sheets in the league.
In the league, Sels has made 89 saves, which is the third-most in the league. This indicates that Sels has a strong ability to stop shots, which has helped Forest move up the competition table.
In the event that Sels happens to be the recipient of the Golden Glove, which is the award that is presented to the custodian who has the most clean sheets, he would be the first gloveman to win the accolade from a team that is not considered to be one of the ‘Big Six’.
This is what Deeney had to say about Sels: “He’s been excellent. In a typical situation, everyone will go with Ederson or Alisson. Both, however, have sustained injuries. As impressive as Alisson’s performance was, it should be noted that it was in the Champions League and not the Premier League. On the other hand, I would say that he has been relatively solid.
The Bournemouth player Milos Kerkez is the left back.
Among the teams in the league, Bournemouth has been one of the most surprising surprises, and Kerkez has been an essential component of that.
The 21-year-old has been a consistent presence for the Cherries, bombing up and down the left flank. He has also registered five assists, which is the third-most among defenders in the Premier League.
Furthermore, Kerkez has participated in each and every game that Bournemouth has played this season, which is a testament to his durability in light of the high-intensity football that the team plays under the direction of Andoni Iraola.
In his verdict, Deeney stated, “This is undisputed, and everyone agrees with it.” The name is Kerkez. Amazing for the city of Bournemouth. I believe that they are aware that they will not have him for the upcoming season, which is why they went out and purchased another left-back who goes by the name of Julio Soler in January.
The centre back position is occupied by Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool and Murillo of Nottingham Forest.
Virgil van Dijk, who plays for Liverpool, is a member of the league’s second-best defence this season, so it should not come as a surprise that he is included.
Despite the fact that he is a cornerstone of the Reds’ defensive unit, Van Dijk consistently dismisses threats as if they were nothing.
A few additional zeros have been added to the end of Murillo’s market value as a result of his stellar performance this season.
The Brazilian has made the second-most blocks (37) and the second-most last man tackles, which demonstrates that he is able to time his challenges to perfection while also being unafraid to put himself in harm’s way in order to prevent a chance from occurring.
In his conclusion, Deeney stated, “Both of them have been excellent.” They are what I would refer to as “proper defenders.” All of the horrible things that they do are done really well. Despite the fact that Van Dijk appears to be a little bit more sophisticated than Murillo when he is doing it, both of them have been impressive throughout this season.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka currently plays right back for West Ham United.
At this point in his first season with the Hammers, Wan-Bissaka is getting close to returning to the form that led to Manchester United’s decision to acquire him for a fee of fifty million pounds in June of 2019.
Among defenders, the 27-year-old appears to be able to read plays before they even take place, which is the reason why he has the second-most interceptions in the league (49).
With Graham Potter now in charge, there is a great deal of anticipation for Wan-Bissaka, and it is not out of the question that he will be considered for a return to the England team.
“It was a redemption season for him,” Deeney said in his closing statement. He was a really good player even when they were struggling under Lopetegui’s leadership.
Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool, Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa, and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United are the players assigned to the central midfield position.
A lot of attention was paid to the fact that Liverpool required a defensive midfielder during the summer, but it turned out that they already had a perfectly capable option right in front of them in the form of Ryan Gravenberch.
Given that he has already completed one season, Gravenberch has demonstrated a great deal of quality under Slot’s tutelage and has become nearly impossible to drop.
His ability to play both with and without the ball is demonstrated by the fact that he has made the fourth-most passes among midfielders and also leads the league in interceptions.
According to Deeney’s assessment, “Another player who was deemed unsatisfactory during the previous season.” The statement that people don’t leave Bayern Munich if they’re any good is something that I remember Graeme Souness saying. It is apparent that he has demonstrated that he is very good.
Over the course of what has been an otherwise disappointing season for Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes has been one of, if not the only bright spot for the club.
The fact that the captain of the Red Devils has the second-most assists (nine) among all midfielders and has played the most through balls (21) in the league demonstrates his desire to make things happen for United’s forwards.
In spite of the fact that the team is still struggling to get a handle on Ruben Amorim’s tactical demands and that the team has been through some managerial turmoil in the form of Erik ten Hag being fired, Fernandes’ numbers are not to be taken lightly.
The conclusion reached by Deeney was as follows: “People might think he’s lucky because of how bad his team has started.” On the other hand, he has had an outstanding performance and is Manchester United’s best player.
Since Morgan Rogers was acquired by Aston Villa from Middlesbrough in January 2024 for an initial fee of eight million pounds, it is not an overstatement to suggest that his market value has increased by a factor of ten since then.
The 22-year-old Rogers has been one of the breakout stars for Villa this season. He has seven goals and four assists for the team, but what has made him one of the breakout stars is his ability to hold off defenders while dribbling while moving quickly.
The verdict from Deeney was as follows: “Been excellent for Aston Villa throughout the entire season and has also been excellent for England.” “A player with unmatched talent.”
The Liverpool player Mohamed Salah is a right-winger.
Do we really need to say much more about the player who leads the league in goals and assists with 27 and 17 respectively?
The conclusion reached by Deeney was that “There can only be one: Mohamed Salah.”
It is Callum Hudson-Odoi of Nottingham Forest who is on the left wing.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has been a key member of Forest’s attacking triumvirate on the left, is perhaps the option that has generated the most controversy among Deeney’s selections.
Although he only has five goals to his name, two of those goals came in victories over Liverpool and Manchester City by a score of 1-0 over each of those teams.
On the other hand, the winger’s consistency has been the most admirable quality for Deeney to observe throughout this season. Hudson-Odoi has been quite consistent.
According to Deeney’s assessment, “This one is going to be controversy-filled.” In my opinion, he has excelled throughout the years. Exceptionally significant goals and plays for a team that is currently ranked among the top three.
Newcastle’s Alexander Isak is the team’s striker.
Despite the fact that Alexander Isak is on track to have his best Premier League scoring season to date, fans and pundits alike are aware that the Toon talent brings a great deal more than just goals to the table.
As a result of his blistering pace, remarkable dribbling ability, and lethal finishing, Isak has solidified his position as one of the best strikers in the world of football.
The conclusion reached by Deeney was as follows: “In my opinion, the best number nine in world football at the moment.” More or less throughout the entire season, I have been saying this, and it has taken a few people some time to catch up, but they are beginning to see it now.
There are a number of candidates for the position of manager of the season, and each of them has claims that are extremely credible.
In his first season as manager of Liverpool, Arne Slot appears to be on track to win the Premier League. This would be an incredible accomplishment, considering that Jurgen Klopp only managed to win the Premier League once during his long tenure.
Nuno Esperito Santo’s ability to have Nottingham Forest in third place with nine games remaining is something that not even the most optimistic of Nottingham Forest fans could have imagined could happen.
As a result of Andoni Iraola’s daring brand of football, Bournemouth is only five points away from a possible spot in the Champions League. This is due to the fact that several of the most prestigious clubs in Europe have shown interest in the players that they have.
Deeney, on the other hand, is of the opinion that Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle, is the most deserving of the award because of the way he has handled the pressure from outside sources to get the Magpies to the sixth position.
The conclusion that Deeney came to was as follows: “I think the pressure and expectation on Eddie, what he’s had to deal with with the England stuff circling around him, winning the first trophy, but also at times looking like he could get sacked at any moment.” In my opinion, that is a greater amount of pressure than Nuno, who is currently experiencing one of those seasons in which they have completely blown everyone out of the water. A significant number of individuals were under the impression that they (Forest) were going to be demoted.
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