My Premier League team of the season 2010-11

The following is my team of the season, they are not necessarily the best players in the Premier League, but simply the ones who have impressed me the most. I’ve decided to do an entire 25-man squad to get as many players involved as possible, but obviously the focus is on the starting XI. Yes, they play a 3-5-2, it probably wouldn’t be applicable in real life, but hey, it’s my team! The following may raise a few eyebrows...

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Roberto Mancini’s decision to drop the experienced Shay Given in favour of the young Englishman has been well and truly vindicated. City’s number 25 marshalled the joint best defence in the league this season and won the Golden Glove award for most clean sheets. Still only 24, the man could be England’s number one for the next decade and a half.

Defender: Brede Hangeland

The giant Fulham centre-back has been nothing short of sensational this season. The former Copenhagen man weighed in with six goals from centre-back and made an incredible 424 clearances in the league this year, the second highest number in the whole division. Fulham’s eighth place finish was due in no small part to the Norwegian, and their place in the Europa League via the fair play table will be a worthy reward.

Defender: Rio Ferdinand

His Manchester United captain and defensive partner Nemanja Vidic has been raking in the majority of the plaudits, but the role of Ferdinand in United’s title charge should not be under-estimated. Missing through injury during United’s February/March rough patch (defeats at Wolves, Chelsea and Liverpool), his return could not have come soon enough and his calmness on the ball and incredible positional sense were vital to United’s steady end of season form. The main difference between Ferdinand and Vidic is the former’s sense of calm. A real character off the pitch, as Twitter users will know, the Peckham-born centre-back almost never puts a foot wrong in matches, giving away fouls and getting booked less often than United get beaten at Old Trafford.

Defender: Leighton Baines

One of only two outfield players to play every minute of every match this season, Everton’s left-back and free-kick specialist is putting pressure on Ashley Cole for his England spot. Eleven assists, many from set-pieces, were not all the ex-Wigan player had to offer as he weighed in with five league goals and claimed the Everton players’ player of the year award. Solid defensively, Baines has been linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich this summer. Should he leave, it will be a big blow for David Moyes’ men.

Midfielder: Nani

The Portuguese winger ( and occasional dramatist) has admittedly been forced out of the team by Antonio Valencia in recent weeks, and since his Jamie Carragher-induced injury at Anfield hasn’t quite been the same player as he was until then. But he makes this team on the basis that for the first seven months of the season he carried Manchester United when the likes of Wayne Rooney were simply not performing. With eighteen assists to his name, he deservedly claimed the United players’ player of the year award and was unlucky to miss out on the PFA shortlist. Creating some true moments of magic in the Autumn and Winter, if it wasn’t for him United may well have gone the same way as Chelsea during the cold months.

Midfielder: Charlie Adam

Blackpool’s captain was the main reason the Seasiders managed to stay out of the relegation zone until so late in the season. The Scotsman put in an outrageous number of outstanding performances throughout the season weighing in with goals, assists and a fantastic range of passes. It was hard to believe that at 25 this was his first ever Premier league season. Blackpool were lucky to hold onto him during the January transfer window, but with Ian Holloway’s men heading back to the Championship, there is no doubt that the midfield magician will be seeking a move to a bigger club.

Midfielder: Yaya Toure

After playing as a defensive midfielder during his years at Barcelona, the younger brother of Kolo has come into his own as an attacking midfielder in England. Big, strong, with a powerful shot and great stamina, the Ivorian was the key force in Manchester City’s first trophy winning campaign for 35 years and he will be right at home in the Champions League next season. Showed he is a big game player with winning goals in both the FA Cup semi-final and final at Wembley.

Midfielder: Jack Wilshere

The young Arsenal midfielder played more minutes than any of his team-mates this season and looks well placed to develop into the ‘English Xavi’ as has been touted by many involved in the game. Still 19, the Englishman was certainly the biggest positive in what was an otherwise disappointing season for his club. Incredible passing ability and a tenacity that has been lacking in recent Arsenal midfields will ensure that Wilshere is integral in England’s Euro 2012 campaign next year. If he could add a few more goals to his game then the diminutive midfielder will be on the road to greatness.

Midfielder: Rafael van der Vaart

When Tottenham Hotspur signed the Dutchman from Real Madrid for a cut-price £8m on transfer deadline day last summer, little did the White Hart Lane faithful know how great his debut season would be for the Lilywhites. 15 goals, many of which were spectacular, and a fantastic understanding with Peter Crouch were key factors in Spurs early season form and success in Europe. If it wasn’t for injury to the Dutchman, as well as team-mate Gareth Bale, Harry Redknapp’s squad may well have caught Arsenal and achieved Champions League football again next season. Holding on to van der Vaart next season is vital to Spurs’ prospects.

Striker: Peter Odemwingie

The Nigerian forward has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water. After racist Russian fans disgracefully waved a banner with a picture of a banana on it and the words ‘Thank you West Brom’ on his sale to the Hawthorns’ club, the pacy striker successfully put the ill-taste behind him and broke a club record by netting fifteen Premier League goals. The only footballer to win the player of the month award twice this season, his consistency was vital to the Baggies’ rise up the table under Roy Hodgson. A natural goalscorer with pace to burn, it’s a shame that it is only now, at 29, that he has arrived in England.

Striker: Robin van Persie

The most prolific goalscorer of the season, averaging a goal every 98.2 minutes (ahead of Manchester United duo Dimitar Berbatov [110.5] and Javier Hernandez [114.3]) the Arsenal forward was in imperious form from New Year’s Day onwards. He in fact equalled Cristiano Ronaldo and Alan Shearer’s record of 18 goals from that point, and would undoubtedly have scored many more had he been fit for the first part of the season. Setting a record of his own by scoring in nine consecutive away games, the Dutchman deserved much better from his team-mates who simply couldn’t match his standards when it came to the crunch.

SUBS:

Edwin van der Sar

A true phenomenon, even at the age of 40, van der Sar will be sorely missed by everybody at Old Trafford.

Vincent Kompany

The converted defensive midfielder was a true rock at centre-back for City this year despite a fair few changes to his defensive colleagues, inspirational at times.

Cheik Tiote

A fantastic acquisition for Newcastle United, Tiote’s game is all about getting stuck in, but he can pass well too and, just ask Arsenal fans, can hit a very very good volley.

Florent Malouda

Arguably not as good as last season but Chelsea’s French winger finished as their top scorer and created plenty of chances, notably in their defeat at Birmingham City in November, where his team-mates let him down badly.

Luka Modric

Spurs certainly don’t lack creativity these days and that owes a lot to the clever play of the Croatian playmaker. Like van der Vaart he is vital to Spurs’ prospects next season.

Carlos Tevez

The Manchester City captain has been fantastic this season, scoring some truly wonderful goals and is only kept out of the starting XI by his disappointing non-committal attitude.

Dimitar Berbatov

The stylish forward finished top scorer along with Tevez and would have scored plenty more if Sir Alex Ferguson could figure out a way of shoe-horning him into the team alongside Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez. A class act.

Rest of the squad:

Javier Hernandez, Samir Nasri, Kevin Nolan, Charles N’Zogbia, Nemanja Vidic, Branislav Ivanovicand Robert Huth. All these players have put in outstanding performances for their respective clubs and could easily have made the starting XI. Plenty more exceptional players didn’t even make the 25-man cut. All in all, a vintage season for the Premier League with outstanding performances from players at both ends of the final table.

The ultimate big game player: Park Ji Sung

In the fifteen years or so that I have been following the beautiful game, I cannot recall a single player who has been tailor-made for the big occasion quite like Park Ji-Sung. The South Korean midfielder is an anomaly, an enigma, and a one-off at Manchester United. In a bog-standard Premier League match, against the likes of Blackburn Rovers or Fulham, Park is not necessarily guaranteed to be involved in the starting line-up or even be on the bench, regardless of his fitness. Yet when it comes to the biggest matches of the season, the 30-year-old is always one of the first names on the team sheet.

An incredible work ethic and tactical awareness are the strengths of Park’s game, not to mention his incredible stamina, and while he is by no means a natural goalscorer, he has a knack of grabbing goals in the biggest of games, as Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool could all testify. While the more skilful and maverick-like Nani has won United’s player’s player of the year award this season, it is likely that in Saturday’s Champions League final the Portuguese will find himself amongst the substitutes. Antonio Valencia has returned from a broken leg and hit the ground running in the last few weeks of the season, seemingly making the right-wing berth his own. While Nani can also play on the left, he is not as effective there and there is almost definitely no shifting the South Korean for an occasion such as Saturday.

What Park gives that Nani can’t is the defensive cover for Patrice Evra (his best friend at the club) that the Frenchman is almost certain to need, given that Pedro, Dani Alves and Lionel Messi will all be working the right flank for Barcelona. His willingness to track back is one thing but his attacking prowess can be seriously undervalued. The former South Korea captain (he retired from the national team after the Asian Cup in January which saw him miss a large chunk of United’s Premier League campaign) has displayed an array of different goals in his time at United, including a diving header against Liverpool last season, a mazy last-minute run and powerful finish against Wolves this season and some precise shooting like against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final second leg.

But it is only in the last couple of seasons that Park has truly been appreciated for what he brings to Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. It has been six years since he first signed from PSV Eindhoven for what now seems a very cheap £4million. He had moved to Holland in 2003 to join his former national team coach Guus Hiddink, with whom he had burst onto the world scene as a vibrant 21-year-old in the South Korea team that made the World Cup semi-finals on home soil. A fan’s favourite at the Philips Stadion, it took him a while to settle at Old Trafford (an early joke was that his first touch was so bad, his second touch would be a sliding tackle) but these days a game does not go by without the Stretford End singing his name. Apart from his first season he has never made more than 40 appearances in all competitions, partially due to injury and international duty, but he is now undoubtedly a key member of the United squad. If the Red Devils are to overcome Pep Guardiola’s mighty Barcelona team at Wembley this weekend, then the boy from Seoul is bound to be central to their success.

The agony and the ecstasy: Just another year in the Premier League

After what has been a truly remarkable season, the Premier League finally came to an end on Sunday May 22^nd with a mixture of emotions for different clubs across the country. The joy of Manchester United, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic was in stark contrast to the despair felt by Birmingham City, Blackpool and the tame end of season performances from Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Looking at the league as a whole, it seems the bottom teams are getting closer to the established big clubs, as is exemplified by a gap of just 41 points between champions and relegation zone, as opposed to 56 points last season. While Manchester United were undoubtedly worthy victors, finishing nine points clear of last year’s winners Chelsea, their well-documented struggles away from home go to prove just how competitive the Premier League really is. Many have claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson’s current team are by no means vintage, but the squad that claimed the record-breaking nineteenth title will certainly be remembered at Old Trafford for many a year. The strength in depth of United has been proven across the season perhaps best exemplified by the first half of the season, being led impressively by Dimitar Berbatov (20 goals) and Nani (18 assists) while Wayne Rooney was out of sorts and Antonio Valencia was injured, before the latter two stormed back into form and essentially benched the former duo for the business end of the campaign. The acquisition of Javier Hernandez was also vital to the title victory, as were sterling performances from veterans Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar and a rock-solid defence marshalled by Barclays player of the year Nemanja Vidic.

A season that started so brightly for Chelsea, with back-to-back 6-0 victories ended on a sour note with popular Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti being sacked despite winning the double only twelve months ago. In truth, it was obvious he had lost the trust of Roman Abramovich earlier this season when assistant coach Ray Wilkins was dismissed against the Italian’s will and the club embarked on a dismal run of just 11 points from 11 games. With big name players such as Didier Drogba almost certain to leave in the summer, a new manager may have to oversee a transitional period for Chelsea. Whether the £50m spent on Fernando Torres will ever be considered money well spent is certainly a question that needs answering.

Manchester City will be thrilled with their late season surge which saw them leapfrog Arsenal and seal a guaranteed place in the Champions League group phase next season. With a budget to die for, a Yaya Toure-inspired FA Cup victory in the bag and a very good squad already in place, the Citizens will certainly be expected to challenge for the title next season, with or without want-away captain Carlos Tevez. Whether the same can be said of Arsenal is not so sure. A truly dreadful end to the season saw them drop out of contention for the title and they now face the prospect of a tricky Champions League qualifier in August. With the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri possibly eyeing a move in the summer, Arsene Wenger surely needs to listen to the public and sign some experienced players as well as a new goalkeeper and proven defenders. However, the Frenchman has never been one to bend to popular belief and Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will be eyeing the Gunners’ top four position next season.

Spurs and the Anfield club have been two of the most interesting stories of the season, with the former impressing in Europe only to falter badly in the league before a late revival secured the debatable prize of Europa League football next season and the latter unbelievably flirting with relegation under Roy Hodgson before the return of ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish sparked an impressive return to form in the Spring. Tottenham will be looking to hold on to star trio Gareth Bale, Rafa van der Vaart and Luka Modric over the summer and will certainly fancy their chances of challenging for Champions League football if they can do so – like their North London rivals they are expected to be looking for goalkeeping and defensive reinforcements too. The return of Kop icon Dalglish was one of the most amazing stories of the season, coupled with the acquisition of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll which looks to have ushered in a new era at Anfield. There seems to have been a long overdue change in dynamics for a team which was reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for such a long time. With Dalglish tied down to a contract and money apparently available, the Kop faithful will be expecting at least a top four finish next season.

The teams to finish mid-table represent a contrast of emotions with Everton and Aston Villa probably disappointed that poor starts to the season left them with too much ground to make up to challenge for Europe, opposed by Fulham and Sunderland happy to be there. West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United will both be pleased with their debut seasons back in the top flight, and both chairmen will feel vindicated that their somewhat-controversial mid-season managerial changes paid off. In Peter Odemwingie the Baggies have unearthed a natural goalscorer and the Toon have seen both Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan step up their game this year. Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers were both distracted by extensive FA Cup runs and may be slightly disappointed that they failed to make the top half in the end, although the fans will no doubt be happy that they avoided the drama of the relegation scrap.

That can’t be said of West Ham United, who were quite simply the worst team in the Premier League this season. The apparent non-management of Avram Grant, whose days as a Premier League manager seem unlikely to return, coupled with some poor signings and terrible injury problems left the Hammers rock bottom and facing the prospect of Championship life next season. Not even the admirable Football Writer’s Player of the Year Scott Parker could save the day, and he missed the crucial run-in with injury. Both Blackpool and Birmingham City will feel hard done by in joining the Upton Park outfit in the second tier. Ian Holloway’s men played a brand of attacking football rarely seen from a newly promoted side and scored the same amount of goals as fifth placed Spurs, yet their defence was never good enough to stay up and despite a memorable double over Liverpool, they were sent back to the Championship after an eventful final day match at Old Trafford. Birmingham City fans may be in a state of shock for a long time after seeing their Carling Cup winners fold and lose their place amongst England’s elite. The St Andrews faithful will now have the unusual combination of Europa League and Championship football next season and they will surely lose many of their best players.

The real elation on the final day of the season was found at Molineux where a thrilling 3-2 win for Blackburn over Wolves turned out to be enough for both to survive and Mick McCarthy in particular will be delighted with a job well done in maintaining his team’s survival. Home victories over the league’s final top three as well as a win at Anfield showed the character of McCarthy’s men and they have certainly played better football than many have given them credit for. Blackburn’s new Indian owners may try to forget that they claimed a ‘top five finish’ was achievable this season and just be grateful that the rookie manager Steve Kean managed to keep them in the Premier League. They will surely be looking to bring in more players and a more experienced manager in the summer though. The other team who went into the last day of the season looking to survive was Wigan Athletic, who yet again upset the odds by beating Stoke away for their seventh consecutive season in the top flight. They are, in fact, the only club never to have been relegated and Roberto Martinez certainly seems to be running the club well.

So after plenty of controversy, foul language, dodgy transfers, Ian Holloway quotes, incredible goals, a record-breaking number of hat-tricks, a second team breaking into the big four in two years and a team of relegated cup-winners, the Premier League is over. The start of the next campaign, on the 13^th August, couldn’t come soon enough.

A landmark occasion for City, who should now push on to more success.

The 14th May 2011 was a landmark day in the history of English football. Yes, Manchester United claimed their 19th title to overtake their greatest rivals Liverpool in the list of all time title victories, but 180 miles south at Wembley Stadium, Manchester City took what could turn out to be a much more significant step.

By beating Stoke City 1-0 to claim the FA Cup which, I'm sure you've all heard by now, was their first trophy in three and a half decades, the Citizens may well have kick-started a new era of success at Eastlands. It has been nearly three years since Sheikh Mansour turned up with his billions and while success hasn't exactly been instant, the club deserve credit where it is due. Yes, they might have been rash in sacking Mark Hughes (albeit he had been at the club some time already), but given time Roberto Mancini is beginning to show exactly what he can do. The Italian has taken much criticism for his defensive style of football but with Champions League football for next season also obtained last week, his tactics appear to be vindicated.

City have spent a lot of money on signings, but on the whole their squad is now looking very well rounded. A series of egos including Robinho, Craig Bellamy and Emmanuel Adebayor have been shown the door, and whilst Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez remain, the squad now appears to be much more together. They have blended the youthful talent of Joe Hart, Micah Richards and Adam Johnson with the experience of Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott and Tevez. Yaya Toure has been a revelation, especially in the second half of the season, where he has won over many of the doubters (including myself) playing in a more attacking midfield position. While he lacks the guile and creativity of a true Trequartista, his strength, stamina and eye for goal have proved invaluable. For much of the season it appeared that City were overly reliant on Tevez, their top scorer, but with the Argentine injured at the tail-end of the season they have rallied and pushed on to claim a top-four finish and this elusive first trophy. The likes of David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong have all proved to be shrewd signings and are doing the business when it counts. If Edin Dzeko can rediscover his Wolfsburg form next season, he could really add another dimension to the squad, and it is expected he will be joined by several more new additions in the summer.

City's local rivals United turned a real corner by claiming the 1990 FA Cup with a replay victory over Crystal Palace which began their dominance over the majority of the past twenty years. It is now looking possible for City to emulate them, or at least usurp Chelsea and Arsenal and become United's main title challengers in the foreseeable future. The first trophy is often the hardest to win, and when you haven't won for a while, succeeding in big matches such as Finals and semi-finals becomes harder and harder (just ask Arsenal fans). With the winning mentality now in place, and the funds to bolster their squad no end, City will really fancy their chances next season and they are already only at 10/1 odds to win the Champions League at the first time of asking.

While that is surely a step too far, it is certainly possible for Mancini's men to progress well in their debut season in Europe's top club competition. Tottenham Hotspur's progress to the quarter-finals this season is testament to that fact, and with Mancini seemingly a more tactically-aware manager than Spurs' Harry Redknapp, they may well be more suited to the competition. Having said that, Mancini failed to do well with Internazionale in the Champions League, so he still has much to prove at this level. Under Roman Abramovich's ownership Chelsea have spent millions trying to claim the greatest of club prizes and fallen short, so the size of the task at hand should not be underestimated by Mansour and his board.

But City are in a very good position to build on their squad now. They arguably need to strengthen in the full-back positions, and they may have to replace Tevez if he decides to leave like he has been threatening to for a while, but the age of the squad is about right for them to develop together. Kolo Toure's ban hasn't hit them as hard as some may have expected, and his return to action would be a welcome boost. But if Mancini keeps making the right decisions, as he did by dropping Shay Given for Hart, and by playing Yaya Toure in front of de Jong and Barry, the Premier League may well enter a new era of Manchester-based dominance.