Premier League Team Of The Year: Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Rooney Including Liverpool And Man City Players

By Dushyant Sinha
10 years Ago

With sixteen rounds of Premier League action over, we analyze and present our Team of the Season so far.

This has been a season of many ups and down, unexpected surprises and some cracking individual performances. We have been treated to an all-out attacking Manchester City at home, an unusually brave Arsenal and an attractive Liverpool. We have also been witness to a hugely disappointing Manchester United, a drab Tottenham Hotspur and a resilient Everton. We pick the top performers of the Premier League season so far and create a starting eleven of the best players so far.

It was a very close call in certain positions, but in such a case we have gone for players who will contribute more to the team, fit the formation and complement their already selected team-mates better. We have chosen players who have had at least five starts this season. The formation we have chosen is a 4-3-3. Letai??i??s have a look:

1 ai??i?? Goalkeeper: Ai??Asmir Begovic (Stoke City)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.07

The 26 year old Bosnia and Herzegovina ai???keeper remains the most vital player in the Stoke line-up, evidence of which are the 58 saves he has pulled in the Premier League this season, which are the third highest in the league and 6 clean sheets, also third highest in the league. All this behind an average back four and in a side that are 13^th in the league table all make for very good reading in Begovicai??i??s favour.

It is no surprise that big Premier League clubs continue to chase after Begovic given his excellent shot stopping and handling. So much does Mark Hughes rely on the Bosnian that he almost replaced Thomas Sorensen, Stokeai??i??s designated goalkeeper for the Capital One Cup, for their quarter final against Manchester United with Begovic. In the end Sorensen played and Stoke were knocked out, though one does feel Stoke would have a better chance with their number one ai???keeper in goal.

2 ai??i?? Right Back: Seamus Coleman (Everton)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.46

Everton under Roberto Martinez have continued to improve this season from the strong foundations built under David Moyes. Just one point shy of a Champions League spot, Evertonai??i??s transition between managers has been fluent and the players have responded to the new managerai??i??s methods well.

One of these players is defender Seamus Coleman, who has thrived under the new manager. The 25 year old already has 3 goals and an assist for the season and takes a shot at goal almost every game. His passing registers a high 87.8%, with an average of 39.8 passes per game. Defensively he registers 2.1 tackles per game and 1.9 interceptions, with 3 clearances per game.

Although Glen Johnson has a higher overall rating of 7.53, we have gone with Coleman because his runs have more purpose to them and his goals coming from right back are certainly hard to ignore.

3 ai??i?? Left Back: Patrice Evra (Manchester United)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.42

In a faltering Manchester United team, Patrice Evra has been one of the more consistent performers. His contribution of a goal and 2 assists this season so far are exceeded by his offensive play and the clever runs he makes down Unitedai??i??s left channel. Admittedly he hasnai??i??t been world class, but in a league with underperforming left backs, Evra looks to be the most consistent at the moment.

Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines have suffered from injuries and Gael Clichy has been off colour. Evra has pushed his team on despite the frailties in David Moyesai??i??s squad currently. His passing percentage has not dropped and is at a consistent 82.2%, from an average of 35.3 passes per game. For a short man Evra is not afraid to go into aerial battles, winning 2.3 aerial battles per game. He has registered 2.7 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game and cleared the ball 5.6 times per game in the league.

4 ai??i?? Centre Back: Dejan Lovren (Southampton)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.51

Lovren is a ball playing centre back who is also good at reading the game well. Southampton pulled off a real coup signing the Croatian in the summer for 8.5 million pounds and the former Lyon defender has not disappointed. At 24, Lovren is still young and has impressed all. In fact Southampton will have to ward off interest from bigger clubs for the Croatai??i??s services.

Lovren has been solid for Southampton so far and his partnership with Jose Fonte has resulted in six clean sheets for the Saints, the third highest in the league. Lovrenai??i??s passing is a high 81.3% for a centre back and wins 3.7 aerial duels per game. He has made a total of 33 successful tackles so far this season and 40 interceptions, which makes it 2.2 tackles and 2.7 interceptions per game. He also has a high clearance rating of 7.5 per game, which indicates his strong presence at the back. He makes an average of 52 passes per game, a high number for a centre back.

5 ai??i?? Centre Back: Phil Jagielka (Everton)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.47

Sir Alex Ferguson once praised Paolo Maldini by saying he kept a clean sheet without making a single tackle in a game. While Jagielka is still some way short from being a Maldini, he is the sort of defender who tackles lesser than he needs to be cause of his exceptional reading of the game. Jagielka has 9.6 clearances per game to his name and has been an important cog in the Everton back four that has kept 8 clean sheets this season, the highest in the league.

Jagielkaai??i??s organizational skills and composure at the back has made him a prized asset for Roberto Martinez and even at 31, Jagielka has not lost his shine. The second Everton player to make this list, Jagielka has an exceptional pass completion rate of 86.5% with an average of close to 54 passes per game.

Ramsey – Excellent for Arsenal this season

6 ai??i?? Right Centre Midfield: Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.96

Now who wouldai??i??ve thought Aaron Ramsey of all people would make this team, that too with the stats he has got to his credit; Arsene Wenger perhaps. Apparently Wenger, in his own words said that when Ramsey gets going finally, he will socre goals by the bucketful. And score goals by the bucketful he has. The Welshman has silenced all his critics in the best manner possible by thumping in 8 goals and providing 6 assists in the Gunnersai??i?? march to the top of the table.

Ramsey has put all the questions about his temperament behind following that horrific leg break at Stoke three seasons ago and has led from the front in a talented arsenal midfield. Ramsey has 71.6 successful passes per game, with a success percentage of 85.2%. He carries out his defensive duties as well, making 64 tackles in total and 4 successful tackles each game. Ramsey is the complete box to box midfielder who can pass, score goals and track back to help out the defenders.

7 ai??i?? Centre Defensive Midfield: Yaya Toure (Manchester City)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.56

As far as influence from midfield goes, no one beats Yaya Toure. The Ivorian has inspired Manchester City from the middle of midfield through his 8 goals and 3 assists this season and a staggering successful pass percentage of 91%, that too with a high number of 75.5 passes per game.

Toureai??i??s powerful bursting runs from midfield have settled quite a few games for Manuel Pellegriniai??i??s men as City look to wrest the Premier League crown from their neighbours in Manchester. Toure will play as the centre defensive midfielder in our team, driving on to opposition defenders when needed and settling back to break up play when under attack.

8 ai??i?? Left Centre Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.68

This was a close one. We could have gone with Manchester Cityai??i??s Fernandinho who has an overall rating of 7.7, but Gerrardai??i??s passing and experience gives him the edge. As age catches up to the 33 year old Gerrard, he has changed his game from a box to box dynamo, bursting through the opposition defence, to a controller of games. He sits deep in the Liverpool midfield and controls the play with his exceptional passing and vision. He has 3 goals and six assists to his name so far, but Gerrardai??i??s major contribution these days comes from his presence in midfield.

With almost 70 passes per game, Gerrard has a pass accuracy of 86.8% and 7.1 accurate long balls per game. He plays 2.7 key passes per game and contributes defensively as well, making 2.5 successful tackles and 1.1 successful interceptions per game. Gerrard is still the heartbeat of the Liverpool team, even though the face may have become South American.

9 ai??i?? Right Forward: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.76

The second most prolific goalscorer in the league, Sergio Aguero has scored 13 goals and 4 assists for City this season, with 4.1 shots per game and 1.7 key passes. Aguero is a classic finisher who, when confident takes his shots early and catches the ai???keeper off guard.

It helps that Aguero plays in the best starting eleven in the Premier League, but this doesnai??i??t take away the fact that he has time and again been the match winner for City, winning 4 Man of the Match awards this season. He has developed an important striker partnership with Alvaro Negredo, a partnership he has had to adjust to fairly quickly in the season.

10 ai??i?? Centre Forward: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

WhoScored.com Rating: 7.6

If there is one man who still impresses in the red of Manchester United, it is Wayne Rooney. Ironically this was the man, who was letting his performances suffer the most in Sir Alex Fergusonai??i??s last season in charge, and this was the man who wanted out of Old Trafford at the beginning of this season, but the former Evertonian has settled in with some stellar performances under David Moyes this season.

Scorer of 8 goals and 6 assists so far this season, Rooney has been the reason United are not in the lower half of the table this season. The England international has carried his team on his shoulders with 3.2 shots per game and 2.1 key passes. His has had 3 Man of the Match performances so far this season. If United are to improve this season, Rooney will have to stay in the superb form he has been this season.

Suarez – Head and Shoulders above the Rest

11 ai??i?? Left Forward: Luis Suarez (Liverpool)

WhoScored.com Rating: 8.82

We are running out of superlatives to describe this man. Luis Suarez has scored 17 goals and 4 assists this season – this, after he was suspended for the first five games of the season. Suarez is head and shoulders above the rest in the Premier League this season and is undoubtedly the best player in the league, if not the world, at the moment.

Comparisons have been drawn with Lionel Messi this season from the Anfield faithful, from Robbie Fowler no less, but while that is a debate for another day, Luis Suarez is one man on every managerai??i??s wish-list right now. Arsene Wenger spoke about him recently saying that he is a lovely fellow in training and a beast on the pitch ai??i?? the kind of player every manager wants. Suarezai??i??s stats are mind boggling. He takes an average of 6.2 shots on goal every game, plays close to 3 key passes per game, and successfully dribbles the ball an astonishing 3.2 times per game.

He has had 7 Man of the Match performances in the 11 games he has played in, which is an indication of his superiority over his peers at the moment. Luis Suarez is in indestructible form.

Stats courtesy Whoscored.com

Notable mentions who miss out: Fernandinho, Olivier Giroud, Mesut Ozil, Daniel Sturridge, Romelu Lukaku, Winston Reid, Eden Hazard

Categories: Arsenal FC, English Premier League, Features, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United
Tags: Premier league season Team