Proper Football’s Premier League Team of the Season

Jack Grealish is the first name that always comes to mind when speaking of Aston Villa, but the club would likely be in the relegation mix once again this year if it weren’t for Emi Martinez.

Villa is third in England this year with 14 clean sheets, only trailing Chelsea and Manchester City, who happen to be competing against one another in the Champions League final.

He's proven to be quite the steal for a club that has spent a lot of money on other positions in recent seasons.

It’s hard to explain the kind of turnaround Shaw is having at United after several years of disappointing play and injuries prevented the Englishman from having success at Old Trafford.

Now, Shaw is firmly in the conversation as the best pure left back in the top flight, while presenting a dangerous left side of the pitch when joined by Marcus Rashford further up the field.

The Portuguese defender has been everything, and then some, for the Citizens en route to another Premier League title after their search for a Virgil Van Dijk of their own was completed.

Dias proved quickly he’s an elite ball winner and guards the heart of the City defense in a way that the club has been seeking out for some time now. 

Man City has conceded just 26 times in 35 matches this season, and while it’s not 2004/05 Chelsea when the Blues allowed 15 goals it’s still wildly impressive.

Similar to Dias, Cancelo has really excelled under Guardiola, but necessarily in the position that he was originally accustomed to playing. 

Although we have Cancelo listed at right back for these purposes, his play on the opposite side has propelled Man City’s back line to another level after struggling to find a consistent left back option for several seasons.

It’s wild to many that Man City can have as many influencers in their attack as they do, but Gundogan’s presence is very similar to Kevin De Bruyne, albeit with a more defensive focus at times.

The 30-year-old is a phenomenal two-way midfielder and despite normally being deployed in a deeper role, Guardiola has allowed Gundogan to get further forward and thrive as a true box-to-box midfielder.

This season, Gundogan has scored 12 goals in the Premier League, which matches his combined total over the past three seasons. Obviously he’s doing something right because nobody would’ve expected this kind of output.

The France international midfielder simply never stops running and watching this guy play each match gets more and more impressive no matter the setting.

Kante continues to do the little things that go unnoticed for most of the match, and then it’s easy to realize in the latter stages just how important he is when he continues to jet past players with his incredible fitness levels.

De Bruyne may very well be the best Premier League player and he has been for quite some time. It’s impossible to pinpoint one specific thing he does better than the rest because he’s simply so well rounded.

Despite having one of his lowest goal totals in his time in Manchester, De Bruyne’s value has been in distribution once again as he only trails Harry Kane in assists this season.

Naysayers will knock Fernandes for racking up his fair share of penalty kick goals, but the Portuguese international may just be repeating Cristiano Ronaldo’s path to stardom in the Premier League.

Fernandes has been the engine in the United attack all season, and with Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford at his side, this club has limitless potential moving forward in a very competitive Premier League.

I profiled the young attacker last month and his legend continues to grow at Man City despite only being 20 years old. Foden is readying himself for a Champions League final, which would mark City’s first title in the competition in the club’s history.

In an attack that features Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, to name a few players, Foden’s abilities have clearly impressed Pep Guardiola enough to crack into the first team regularly.

The league leader in goals this season has been everything you’d expect from Kane, even if Spurs’ effort collectively has been subpar. 

The 27-year-old striker has already been linked with several potential moves away from Tottenham next season, but for now Spurs will have to enjoy the Englishman’s ability as he prepares for EURO 2020 this summer.

While Kane continues to steal the spotlight at Spurs, Son is having his best season at Tottenham with 22 goals across all competitions. 

Like Kane, Son could move this summer as both players look for better competition given Spurs’ current state. That said, his output in the Premier League has been tremendous and if Son was at almost any other club he’d be more widely recognized in 2021.