Only one player will retain his place in the PFA Team of the Year by our reckoning. Harry Kane should miss out and the centre-backs will be interesting.
Here’s who we reckon the players will vote for to make up the PFA Team of the Year.
GK: Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Alisson was last season’s PFA Team of the Year No.1 and, if it weren’t for him, Liverpool would be even deeper in the sh*t. But because of Liverpool’s woes, it’s hard to envisage many pros thinking beyond ‘who’s conceded fewest goals this season?’. That line of thinking would lead them to Pope, who has been hugely impressive in his first season since Newcastle snared a £10million bargain from Burnley. The England keeper has shipped considerably fewer goals than any other stopper and being the mild-mannered chap he seems to be, he won’t have p*ssed off many of his fellow pros like Aaron Ramsdale.
RB: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United)
It’s a similar story for Trippier at right-back, who has been one of the leading presences in Newcastle’s superb season. Not long ago, the veteran was viewed as arguably the fourth-best right-back available to England, behind Trent Alexander-Arnold – last season’s PFA team of the Year right-back – Reece James and Kyle Walker, but this season Trippier has been the best in the Premier League.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)
Luke Shaw has had a stellar season but Zinchenko’s impact at Arsenal has been similar to Trippier’s when he joined Newcastle. The Ukraine star has added technical quality but also leadership and title-winning know-how. So much so that Kieran Tierney is struggling to get a game.
CB: Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United)
The centre-back positions are a tough call. Last season it was Virgil van Dijk and Antonio Rudiger. This term, there are few stand-out options but Martinez is certainly one. Despite being thought to be too small for the Premier League, Martinez has transformed United’s defence alongside Raphael Varane.
CB: William Saliba (Arsenal)
With few other obvious stand-outs, many pros will probably default to Arsenal, but even that vote could be split between Saliba and Gabriel. We’ll go for the former, but we’re certainly not convinced. One of Newcastle’s centre-backs, Fabian Schar especially, could consider himself unfortunate to miss out but an Arsenal defender will likely nick one of the two central spots.
MF: Casemiro (Manchester United)
A shoo-in for the holding midfield…
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