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David Raya, Arsenal
Raya kept 19 cleanable sheets and won his 3rd consecutive Golden Glove, conscionable 1 awkward of Petr Cech and Joe Hart’s record, but he makes this squad acknowledgment to his game-defining interventions successful high-pressure moments successful nan title race. The Spaniard was location erstwhile his broadside needed him most: against Brighton successful December, astatine Stamford Bridge successful March and, of course, possibly nan defining image of his season, nan smothering prevention from a Mateus Fernandes against West Ham successful nan last fortnight of nan campaign. In a crippled of good margins, Raya has truthful often been nan quality for Arsenal.
Matheus Nunes, Manchester City
Last play Pep Guardiola said that Matheus Nunes was not “clever enough” to play successful midfield, moreover though he had spent £53m to motion him from Wolves arsenic a replacement for Ilkay Gündogan. Many players would person struggled to retrieve aft being undermined truthful publically by their manager, but Nunes embraced a caller situation and developed into 1 of nan Premier League’s champion right-backs. His athleticism and shot carrying group him isolated this season.
Gabriel Magalhães, Arsenal
Gabriel Magalhães has been nan fierce half of nan champion centre-back business successful nan league, happily embracing nan bruising broadside of nan protect activity for Arsenal, moreover if it occasionally intends going toe-to-toe pinch Erling Haaland successful a shirt-tugging, arm-wrestling duel. Gabriel made 32 appearances successful nan convention and vanished nan run pinch 17 cleanable sheets, much than immoderate different defender. Arsenal conceded conscionable 27 convention goals this season, their champion protect grounds since nan Invincibles won nan title successful 2003-04. For each Gabriel’s power successful his ain box, he was conscionable arsenic beardown successful attack. Arsenal scored a league-high 24 goals from dead-ball situations, including a Premier League grounds 18 from corners, and Gabriel’s aerial beingness was cardinal to their threat. The Brazilian contributed 3 goals and 4 assists.
William Saliba, Arsenal
The boyhood Arsenal instrumentality admitted he struggled past season, saying: “This play I person not been truthful good. I person to watch my partner Gabriel who has been so, truthful bully this season. I person to attraction connected myself and activity more.” It is safe to opportunity nan activity paid off. Few defenders are arsenic calm and composed arsenic Saliba, who has been dribbled past conscionable 7 times this play – nan 3rd fewest successful nan Premier League. He is besides poised connected nan ball, completing 92.9% of his passes. If his connection aft Arsenal won nan title is immoderate denotation of his ambition, he will beryllium backmost successful this squad adjacent play too. “I americium not full,” he said. “We person started pinch nan Premier League. It is my first one, truthful I americium happy, but I want more.”
Nico O’Reilly, Manchester City
O’Reilly ousted Rayan Aït-Nouri – a £36m summertime signing – from nan left-back position astatine City and made it his own. Only 4 City players were fixed much minutes than nan 21-year-old, which is simply a testament to his talent and reliability. O’Reilly thrived successful Guardiola’s fluid system. Equally comfortable stepping into midfield aliases attacking nan backmost post, his versatility and value successful possession made nan academy postgraduate 1 of his manager’s astir weighted chess pieces. He vanished nan play pinch 9 goals and six assists successful each competitions, which has been rewarded pinch a spot successful nan England squad for nan World Cup.
Declan Rice, Arsenal
Teams that triumph nan title usually person a heartbeat. For Arsenal, it has been Rice. Whether launching attacks, recovering possession aliases delivering devastating group pieces, nan Englishman has near his fingerprints connected each important facet of their season. His productivity was cardinal to Arsenal’s success; he created 63 chances (more than immoderate of his teammates) and carried nan shot up nan transportation much than anyone other successful nan squad. His relentless activity protected nan league’s champion defence and he regained possession much than immoderate of his teammates. From nan young man known for his protect solidity astatine West Ham, Rice has developed into Arsenal’s “Mr Everything”, making nan champions usability successful each shape of nan game.
Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United
Football writers’ subordinate of nan year, Premier League subordinate of nan season, nan Premier League assists grounds and Champions League shot restored to Old Trafford. Not a bad play for nan Manchester United captain. No subordinate has travel adjacent to matching Bruno Fernandes’ imaginative output this season. His record-breaking tally of 21 assists surpassed nan erstwhile benchmark group by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, and nan 136 chances he created for teammates was a staggering 58 much than immoderate different subordinate successful nan league. Remarkably, he achieved this contempt being deployed successful a deeper midfield domiciled nether Ruben Amorim for half of nan season.
Elliot Anderson, Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest had a tumultuous season, but Elliot Anderson’s value and relentless activity complaint were a constant. He had much touches of nan shot than immoderate subordinate successful nan convention and he won much duels than immoderate different player. The 23-year-old midfielder collapsed lines pinch his passing, carried nan shot up nan transportation to move defence into attack, and covered much than 250 miles – 2nd only to James Garner successful nan league. If anyone deserves a summertime break aft a play spent moving done walls, it is Anderson. But World Cup work awaits.
Antoine Semenyo, Manchester City
Rejected by academy aft academy and past loaned retired to non-league clubs, Antoine Semenyo has spent his profession proving group wrong. This season, he did it connected nan biggest stage. Manchester City paid £62.5m for nan Ghana international successful January and, 5 months later, it already looks for illustration a bargain. His 17 Premier League goals crossed spells astatine Bournemouth and City classed 3rd successful nan division, while immoderate doubts complete whether he could lick Guardiola’s winger problem quickly evaporated. Semenyo struck 5 times successful his first 8 convention appearances for City, and his blend of pace, powerfulness and unpredictability has go a defining characteristic of City’s attack. He besides scored nan only extremity of nan crippled successful the FA Cup final.
Igor Thiago, Brentford
No 1 expected Thiago to make nan squad of nan play 9 months ago. Twenty-two goals later, nan Brazilian is known crossed Europe and connected his measurement to nan World Cup. Only 4 players successful nan large 5 European leagues scored much goals than Thiago this season: Harry Kane (36), Erling Haaland (27), Kylian Mbappé (25) and Vedat Muriqi (23). Replacing nan output of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa was ne'er going to beryllium easy, but Brentford person someway managed it.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Haaland scored 27 convention goals this season, his 2nd champion return successful England aft nan 36 he scored successful his first play astatine City. Just arsenic awesome was nan measurement he adapted to Guardiola’s much nonstop approach. Alongside his accustomed goalscoring threat, Haaland progressively acted arsenic a facilitator, drafting centre-backs retired of position and serving arsenic a focal constituent to initiate attacks alternatively than conscionable finishing them. His tally of 8 open-play assists ranks 3rd successful nan convention down Rayan Cherki and Fernandes.
This is an article by WhoScored
