- David De Gea performed admirably despite Man United’s season being a train wreck. He made some incredible saves
- Son and Kane have officially established themselves as the best strike cooperation in Premier League history
- De Bruyne’s fantastic pass for Manchester City’s title-winning goal against Aston Villa blended him up perfectly
The Premier League’s glittering prizes were decided after a final day of maximum drama, and Man City are now the champions for the fourth time in five years,
Liverpool on the other hand, performed pretty well in the season. Still, they finished second while Tottenham Hotspur is in the Champions League, and Leeds United are back in the Premier League.
But what about the individual awards? What about those who would prefer to forget the season?
Everyone will have their ideas about who the real movers and shakers are, so without further ado, here are this observer’s best 2021-22 team.
BEST XI OF THE SEASON
GOALKEEPERS
David de Gea (Manchester United)
David de Gea (Manchester United): A hotly contested choice given the claims of Liverpool’s Alisson and Manchester City’s Ederson, but De Gea performed admirably despite United’s season being a train wreck.
He made some incredible saves, and without him, where would United even be?
DEFENDERS
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold. Photo: Getty Images
Still have some reservations about his defending, but this is a prime example of evaluating what he can possibly do rather than what he can not.
This is a full-back with a distinct ability to pick passes and crosses and set up goals. England must figure out how to use it.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
He appears to do everything without ever leaving second gear. It’s because he interprets the game so well that he can put out fires before they start.
It’s not a simple task in a defense that plays with both full-backs pushed up so high that the central defenders are put under extra pressure.
Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
Rugged and unyielding, Antonio Rudiger will be sorely missed when he departs Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid this summer. Few get past him as if he’s wearing a sign that says, “You won’t get past me.” It is difficult to replace.
Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
At times, he has been incredible in City’s title win as a defender with the ball-playing expertise of a No. 10.
He prefers to play right-back but is equally adept at his team’s slightly difficult left-back position.
MIDFIELDERS
Kevin de Bruyne(Manchester City)
Kevin de Bruyne was name player of the season in the 2021/22. Photo: MARCA
Kevin de Bruyne‘s fantastic pass for City’s title-winning goal against Aston Villa blended him up perfectly.
Few players can see, time, and weight a pass like him, and this season he has added more goals to his bag of tricks.
Declan Rice (West Ham United)
The Hammers’ fantastic season was aided by the leading light, who helped them reach the Europa League semifinals and finish seventh in the Premier League, excellent for a Europa Conference League spot.
Consistent and developing as an intelligent leader. West Ham will be tough on potential suitors.
Christian Eriksen (Brentford)
The season’s narrative. Eight months after collapsing on the pitch at the Euros, the Dane returned to reshape Brentford just as they were starting to struggle.
The Bees were victorious in seven of their ten games with him in the lineup.
It would be good to think he repaid their trust by remaining at the club.
ATTACKERS
Mohamed Salah(Liverpool)
Salah had the most assists in the 2021/22 season
Man in peril. Even though his form dipped slightly, the Egyptian had a fantastic season, finishing joint-top scorer in the league and leading the assists chart. Every time he gets the ball, the alarm goes off.
Harry Kane( Tottenham)
He started the season in a funk after his preferred move to Manchester City fell through but then demonstrated that he can not only score goals but also drop deep to set them up. With Spurs qualifying for the Champions League, he’ll likely stay as long as manager Conte does.
Son Heung-Min (Tottenham)
He and Kane have officially established themselves as the best strike cooperation in Premier League history.
The South Korean shares the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah this season and always plays with a smile on his face, thanks to dashing, clever runs, and skilful finishes.
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