Toby Farmer’s Premier League Team of the Season

As the Premier League season has officially reached it’s conclusion, the writers of The Boar Sport are putting their heads together to create the best XI based upon this campaign.

Every few days, a new writer will have their chance to pitch what they believe to be the ultimate side, culminating in a final Boar Sport XI next month.

Up next to have their say is the king of segues himself, 7-Dayer podcast host, Toby Farmer!

GK – Alisson

If Liverpool’s back four fail to catch the opposition offside, they can always rely on their goalkeeper to bail them out of jail. Alisson is at his best when he makes difficult saves look easy, while he isn’t too shy of sweeping up any through-balls that squeeze past Liverpool’s offside trap. I can’t think of another goalkeeper who makes so many crucial one-on-one saves.

RB – Joao Cancelo

What makes Joao Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold such outstanding full-backs is their quality on the ball. The (sometimes unfair) accusation made about Alexander-Arnold is that he “can’t defend”, a lazy and dismissive quote that has become tiresome this season. He can defend very well, but perhaps not as well as Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese defender displays exceptional defensive positioning; Only Rodri has made more blocks and interceptions than Cancelo for Manchester City in the league.

CB – Joel Matip

Joel Matip has been as good as any defender in the league this season. In a season lasting 63 games, Liverpool have learned they cannot always rely on Van Dijk, meaning Matip has often had to step in to lead the back four. What makes Matip’s season even more impressive is how hard he has been pushed for a place by Ibrahima Konate. There is little between the two centre-backs as to who partners Van Dijk next season, but based on his performances this season, Matip edges it.

CB – Virgil van Dijk

The way Virgil van Dijk defends is similar to how Alisson plays between the sticks. Their positional intelligence means they make the extremely difficult look laughably easy. Opposition crosses seem to land at van Dijk’s feet as if he were a magnet for the ball. In his first full season since the knee injury he sustained in October 2020, Virgil van Dijk has effortlessly regained his status as the best centre-back in the world.

LB – Andy Robertson

Andy Robertson is perhaps the most consistent player in the league. He produces world class performances every week, which is even more impressive given the ground he covers at left-back. Relentlessly surging forward and tracking back, Robertson has made more sprints than any Liverpool player this season, ranking sixth highest in total sprints across the league.

Somewhat unremarkable in comparison to the world-beaters of Salah, Son, and Mane, but his 12 goals and 10 assists put him just behind them in the league

CDM – Rodri

Centre defensive midfield was a toss-up between Fabinho, Declan Rice, and the metronomic Rodri. What edges the latter ahead of the rest, is his ability to pop up in season-defining moments. Interestingly, it was Rodri who denied Fabinho in the dying embers of the first titanic title clash between Manchester City and Liverpool. The Spaniard produced a miraculous block to ensure Manchester City came away with a point; A vital one too. Rodri has also scored important goals, the latest being a superb low drive on Manchester City’s final day comeback against Aston Villa.

Lastly, he is part of a dying breed of modern footballers who still tuck their shirt in – if that counts for anything.

CM – Kevin De Bruyne

Standout performances include his four-goal haul at Wolves and the pivotal goals he scored in both 2-2 draws against title challengers Liverpool. De Bruyne is a breathtaking midfielder and a lethal false-nine forward. The accusation is that Manchester City ‘need’ a striker. They don’t. Nine major trophies and 565 premier league goals in the Guardiola era prove that. However, with Erling Haaland arriving in the summer, De Bruyne will be supplying one of the world’s most ruthless strikers, meaning the Belgian playmaker can only get better. He is surely an all-time Premier League great.

CM – Bernardo Silva

It’s an all-Manchester City midfield, with Bernardo Silva truly deserving his place in the TOTY. He is a wonderful attacking midfielder, but what makes him truly outstanding is his defensive discipline. Only six players have covered more ground in the Premier League this season. His diminutive style makes him appear like any typical Manchester City playmaker, but in truth, he is an indispensable all-round midfielder for Pep Guardiola’s side.

RW – Jarrod Bowen

A magnificent season for Jarrod Bowen propelled him into the inevitable ‘Time-for-an-England-call-up?’ talk. By the end of the season, he got his just rewards, with Southgate naming him in the England squad for the Nations League. Bowen is somewhat unremarkable in comparison to the world-beaters of Salah, Son, and Mane, but his 12 goals and 10 assists put him just behind them in the league. Bowen offers pace, power, and a direct goal-threat; If he continues such form into next season, he surely makes the England squad for Qatar 2022.

ST – Mohamed Salah

After sharing the Golden Boot, winning the domestic cup double, and reaching another Champions League final, one might argue it’s been another outstanding season for Mohamed Salah. While that is true, it has been a stuttering second half for Salah. Since losing in the final of the AFCON, he has scored 7 goals in the last 15 games, compared to the 16 goals in 21 appearances prior to the tournament. But he can play badly and still come up with important goals for Liverpool. He would be a huge miss if he leaves Merseyside at the end of his contract in 2023.

LW – Heung Min Son

Tottenham Hotspur produced a late surge in the season to secure Champions League football for the 2022/23 season, gaining 26 points from a possible 33 since their defeat at Old Trafford in March 2022. In that time, Son has been lethal, scoring 12 goals in 11 games and perhaps narrowly missing out on PFA Player of the Year. His blistering form has propelled him into a place in the TOTY, edging ahead of his teammate Harry Kane.