The official PFA Team of the Season was announced last month and somewhat inevitably, the line-up was dominated by the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
In fact, title winners Chelsea had the most representatives with five, whilst all eleven members are employed by teams to finish the campaign in the top seven.
Yet that big-club-centric view seems misguided. Of course, the majority of the best players ply their trade at the top of the table and thus, their form has been the most consistent because they’re in the best teams.
But that shouldn’t take away from the number of players who’ve performed repeatedly well for lesser sides under arguably tougher circumstances, with the threat of relegation lingering over them.
With that in mind, FootballFanCast are bucking the trend, focusing on the Premier League’s best of the rest in our non-top seven Team of the Season. Do you agree with our selections? Let us know by commenting below…
GK – Jordan Pickford
Considering how badly Sunderland would have fared this season without the talismanic performances of Jordan Pickford borders upon disturbing.
Whilst Jermain Defoe produced the goods at the other end, Pickford’s displays between the sticks verged on miraculous and kept the Black Cats’ survival bid alive for far longer than it should have been.
He finishes the season with the most saves of any goalkeeper, a staggering 110, and will almost certainly be leaving Sunderland this summer for a top Premier League club.
RCB: Gareth McAuley
He may not be the most glamorous of defenders and West Brom certainly aren’t the most glamorous of teams.
But Tony Pulis’ boys have performed beyond expectations this term, albeit ending the season in 10th place, and at the age of 37, Gareth McAuley has played a huge role at both ends of the pitch, scoring six and setting one up whilst providing a monolithic presence at the heart of defence.
Rather tellingly, the Baggies lost both of their league games without the Northern Ireland defender this season.
CB – Virgil van Dijk
During the first half of the season, there wasn’t a better centre-back in the Premier League – Virgil van Dijk combining an imposing physicality with an eloquent ability to play out of the back like no other defender in the division.
Had it not been for a season-ending injury in January the Dutchman would likely have claimed a place in the PFA Team of the Year. Nonetheless, he’s another who looks certain to move to an elite Premier League club this summer.
LCB – Michael Keane
Burnley’s survival bid hinged on defensive resilience and the near-impervious displays of centre-back Michael Keane were inevitably an underlying factor. The 24-year-old has been immense all season and his form was rightly recognised with two England caps in March.
Not only a fine talent in footballing terms, the youngster has emerged as a real leader of Burnley’s starting XI. The division’s top clubs will be snooping around him this summer.
RM – Michail Antonio
Perhaps an ironic inclusion considering the furore surrounding his selections as a wing-back earlier this season, but needs must for our non-top seven XI and Michail Antonio’s form has been up there with the division’s best, notching up nine goals and three assists whilst being jostled around a variety of roles.
In addition to his impressive output, however, it’s the West Ham forward’s attitude, energy and industriousness that has earned him a spot on the right-hand side in this select XI.
CM – Oriol Romeu
Oriol Romeu came from big-club football, spending the early stages of his career at Barcelona and Chelsea, and judging by his performances this season, the Spanish anchorman deserves another crack at it.
He’s been monolithic at the base of Southampton’s engine room, not only producing the level of tackles and interceptions you’d expect from a defensive midfielder but also playing a huge role in directing traffic with the ball. Rather tellingly, he tops Southampton’s charts for tackles and passes per match.
CM – Gylfi Sigurdsson
Unquestionably the most talented midfielder outside of the Premier League’s top seven, Gylfi Sigurdsson has been the difference in this season’s relegation battle, producing the third-most assists of any Premier League player, 13, whilst weighing in with nine goals.
He also ranks top throughout the top flight for crosses per match, 2.3, and tenth for chances created per match, despite representing a side that spent much of the season lingering either side of the drop line.
LM – Charlie Daniels
One of the most unassuming footballers you’ll ever see, Charlie Daniels looks like he’s just been press-ganged off the street but few left-backs have been effective as the 30-year-old going forward this season, bagging four goals and three assists whilst producing just shy of one created chance and one successful dribble per match.
The Cherries have finished the season in an impressive ninth place and tellingly of his influence, Daniels started all but four of their league fixtures.
RF – Wilfried Zaha
We’ve finally seen the enormous potential tipped of Wilfried Zaha truly come to the fore this season, finishing it with seven goals, nine assists and the second-most successful dribbles of any Premier League player after Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
Furthermore, Zaha has produced the goods against high-quality opposition, bagging one goal and five assists against the top six, and when Palace have needed him most, scoring in the 4-0 win over Hull City that guaranteed their Premier League survival.
Perhaps more intriguingly, no attacking midfielder, winger or striker has completed more tackles per match than him this season.
LF – Dimitri Payet
He may have only taken part in 18 Premier League games but Dimitri Payet was a real force during the first half of the campaign. In fact, he’s still finished the season with the most assists of any West Ham player, six, and the highest chances-per-match ratio of any Premier League player with a staggering 4.1.
Despite his incredible individual displays, the Hammers actually improved after the Frenchman left for Marseille – but he still earns a spot in our non-top-seven XI.
ST – Joshua King
What an incredible 2017 it’s been for Bournemouth striker Joshua King.
Since the turn of the year, the Norway international has pretty much doubled his career tally with 13 goals in the top flight, firing Bournemouth to their first ever top-half finish in the Premier League and himself to joint-eighth in the division’s final scoring chart alongside Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
It feels like a real coming-of-age campaign for the former Manchester United youngster and Cherries fans will be hoping his stunning 2017 form carries into next season.
