EPL Team of the Season

It was an exciting season in the English top flight. Manchester United finished as champions by 9 points, as Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal rounded out the rest of the top 4. Tottenham grabbed a Europa League spot and Stoke will also be in the Europa League as they made it to the FA Cup Final. Blackpool, West Ham and Birmingham were relegated from the league and it will be interesting to see whether or not Blackpool and Birmingham will find their Europa League/Championship seasons to be just a little bit unfamiliar.

With the season over, Game On puts together a comprehensive team of the season.

Goalkeeper: Edwin Van Der Sar
This was the Dutchman’s last season of his career and it was arguably his best. Apart from an uncharacteristic error against West Brom early on in the league, he has been virtually flawless as Man United won the league. He is a giant and ever-calming presence and a very underrated keeper with the ball at his feet. He exudes confidence and the back four know that they can trust him to make the right decisions. Will he go out with a Champions League medal (his 3rd) like another great United keeper?

Right Back: Branislav Ivanovic
It was an off year for many of the stars at Stamford Bridge but that was not the case for the versatile Serb. Ivanovic’s most effective position is at center-back but his versatility saw him deployed mainly on the right side of defence. His no-nonsense style of defending frustrated many-a-winger this year as they found it extremely difficult to get past the imposing defender. He is also a goal threat at the other end of the pitch as he has scored a few goals off corners this year.

Center back: Nemanja Vidic
He was given the captain’s armband at the beginning of the season and started off his captaincy by lifting the Community Shield at Wembley. He was once again without his longtime partner in central defence, as Rio Ferdinand had another injury-filled season. Vidic’s effectiveness as a leader grew immensely as he gave the likes of Chris Smalling and Johnny Evans on-field instructions and guidance as they developed their respective games. His no-nonsense style of defending can sometimes appear to be Machiavellian in its nature, but there is no doubting its effectiveness. His campaign also included some crucial goals against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Center back: Vincent Kompany
One might expect to find one of Manchester City’s expensive recruits on this list but instead there is a hard-nosed Belgian defender that they acquired for a modest fee. Kompany has outshone other defensive recruits to become one of Roberto Mancini’s first names on the team sheet. He is part of a very solid spine of the team, alongside Joe Hart, Nigel De Jong, and David Silva.

Left Back: Leighton Baines
One might expect to see Ashley Cole or Patrice Evra in this position, as they have been the league’s most effective left backs over the past few years. Instead, there is a new entry and his name is Leighton Baines. The Everton man has had a career year for the Toffees as he has led the team in assists. He is able to get forward and support the attack but still has the energy level to get back and defend. He also has a wonderful left foot and is a threat when delivering set pieces. It is no coincidence that there is transfer interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus.

Right Midfield: Nani
The return of Antonio Valencia and Park Ji-Sung from their respective injuries have forced Nani back to the bench but it would be futile to ignore the contributions he has made in the league this year. He leads the league in assists with 18, and contributed a further 9 goals himself. No one scored or created more goals in the league this year than the Portuguese and he has stepped out of the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo to become his own player. He was single-handedly keeping United in the title race in the first few months of the season and was the team’s main creative outlet.

Center Midfield: Luka Modric
The diminutive Croatian is rated very highly by Harry Redknapp and had his best year to date in a Spurs kit. Gareth Bale might have won the PFA Player of the Year and Rafael Van Der Vaart might command the headlines, but it is Modric who quietly goes about his business as his team’s most important player. He is ability to dictate play from the center is reminiscent of a younger Paul Scholes, albeit with a much better defensive acumen. There is reported transfer interest from Barcelona and Manchester United, but if Spurs are to qualify for the Champions League than holding onto Modric is very important.

Center Midfield: Jack Wilshere
Next to Modric we have another short midfield magician. (No one said that this team would actually play well together) But all jokes aside, Wilshere truly emerged as a big footballer this year. He played in more games than any other Arsenal player and this was in the most competitive part of the team, the midfield. His performances were full of composure and confidence and he stood out against Barcelona. He is now one of the first name’s on Arsene Wenger’s and Fabio Capello’s team sheets, no small feat.

Left Midfield: Samir Nasri
Like Nani, Nasri’s impact towards the end of the campaign couldn’t quite hit the highs of fall and winter. That being said, Nasri was nominated for PFA Player of the Year and had the best season of his career. He single-handedly kept Arsenal in some games and his dribble through the entire Fulham defensive line to score the winner at Craven Cottage is one of the season’s highlights. There has been some transfer speculation and Nasri is reportedly upset about Arsenal’s lack of silverware. If he does want to leave the Emirates than there will be a host of clubs vying for his signature.

Striker: Peter Odemwingie:
Peter Odemwingie arrived at the Hawthorns for a modest fee and wasn’t given much publicity. He was actually one of Nigeria’s better performers at the 2010 World Cup (Fanboy Anonymous picked him as a player to watch in our Nigeria preview), not that any West Brom fans would have noticed. The league surely took notice of his talents this year, as he helped West Brom escape the relegation zone and finish a respectable 11th place. He scored 15 goals in the league and became an instant cult hero for the Midlands club.

Striker: Dimitar Berbatov
The last couple of months haven’t been that great for the Bulgarian enigma. He was displaced from the team by Javier Hernandez and has only played a bit-part role. Yet, he still managed to finish as the joint-top scorer in the league this season. His achievement is brought into even greater focus when one realizes that he doesn’t take any penalties, and the player he is tied with, Carlos Tevez, is the designated penalty taker for Manchester City. Berbatov had his best season in Manchester as he scored over 20 goals from open play. It would be unwise to downplay his achievement this year. When the Wayne Rooney contract situation and subsequent injury threatened to derail United’s season, it was Berbatov that was single-handedly keeping them within an earshot of the title.

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