English Premier League 2011-2012: The Player of the Season from Every Team

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Following one of the most dramatic days in English football history, the 2011-2012 Barclays Premier League season is now over.

Late goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero rescued the title for Manchester City in the most extraordinary of circumstances. City were down 2-1 to Queens Park Rangers heading into stoppage time, yet somehow, they found a way to win.

The season was filled with ups and downs, pure joy and utter dejection. There were some stunning games and breath-taking goals.

But who were the players of the season?

Here is the top performer from every team in the 2011-2012 campaign.

Arsenal—Robin Van Persie

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In 47 games this season, van Persie notched 37 goals to go along with 14 assists. He was an inspirational leader for Arsenal this season and led them to a third placed finish and guaranteed Champion's League football.

Arsenal's reliance on van Persie is underlined by the fact he scored 30 of the club's 47 league goals.

Not only is RVP Arsenal's MVP, but he will be a serious contender for the FIFA Ballon d'Or to be handed out in January.

Aston Villa—Stephen Ireland

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Villa had a dreadful season, spending large parts of the campaign fighting to avoid relegation.

Stephen Ireland was Villa's best performer this season. He battled hard in midfielder and delivered good service to a wasteful strike-force. He kept the team ticking over and when he was injured, his absence was notable.

Memorable performances against Chelsea and Arsenal were the highlights of Ireland's season.

Blackburn Rovers—Yakubu

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Yakubu scored 16 goals in 23 league games, yet Blackburn will find themselves playing in the Championship next season.

The Nigerian striker scored some famous goals this season including a brace in to ruin Sir Alex Ferguson's birthday.

Blackburn's relegation was confirmed on the penultimate weekend of the season. Without Yakubu, it would have happened much, much earlier.

Bolton Wanderers—Martin Petrov

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Final day heartbreak for Bolton who were relegated after a 2-2 draw with Stoke.

Bolton started the season slowly and simply never got going and were in the bottom three for most of the season.

Martin Petrov was the Trotter's best player this past season. His distribution in midfield was immaculate and he offered a threat going forward scoring four goals and providing seven more.

Petrov performed admirably this season despite a disappointing campaign from his team.

Chelsea—Juan Mata

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Juan Mata orchestrated the Chelsea attack all season long and was the genius behind the majority of side's best play. He was also instrumental in the Blues' FA Cup final win over Liverpool.

Mata has made an immediate impact since his £23.5 million arrival from Valencia in the summer, notching an impressive 13 assists in the league alone.

The Spanish playmaker dazzled this season and was the best performer for Chelsea in a season with mixed results.

Everton—Marouane Fellaini

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Despite the hot form of January signing Nikica Jelavic in the second half of the season, Marouane Fellaini was the best, most consistent performer for Everton this campaign.

This season, he established himself as a true box-to-box midfielder. He is strong in the challenge and can boss the middle of the pitch. More recently, he has shown that he is just as adept going forward and scoring two goals playing in the hole behind the striker.

Fellaini is the engine that makes Everton tick. Without him, the Toffees would be in serious trouble.

Fulham—Clint Dempsey

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The American has once again starred for Fulham scoring 17 goals and laying on 7 more. Dempsey has also been a model of consistency for the Cottagers appearing in every single Premier League game.

Dempsey has guided to Fulham to a very respectable ninth place finish. He also managed to bag three goals in the Europa League as Fulham narrowly missed out on qualification for the knockout stage.

Dempsey was unquestionably Fulham's player this season. However, if the latest reports are to be believed, it may well be his last for the club.

Liverpool—Jose Enrique

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The Reds had a horrible season, only managing to win 14 games. They struggled for form and rhythm and slid down the table as a result.

Jose Enrique was Liverpool's best, most consistent performer this campaign. His £6 million arrival from Newcastle in the summer solved the Reds' problem at left-back. Enrique was solid defensively and offered good service from the left recording two assists and creating countless more chances.

While Luis Suarez may have grabbed all the headlines, Enrique was the best player in a season riddled with poor performances.

Manchester City—Vincent Kompany

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How ironic that City's player of the season is one of the few who were already at the club prior to the multi-million dollar takeover from Skeikh Mansour.

Vincent Kompany was featured in 31 of City's league games and anchored the side from the heart of the defence. The Belgian was the leader of the best defence in the league. He also managed to record an impressive total of three goals and two assists.

Kompany was a rock for Man City this season, leading them to their first Premier League title. Despite the millions spent on flashy strikers, Kompany is by far and away the club's most valuable player.

Manchester United—Wayne Rooney

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So close but yet so far.

The Red Devils performed admirably this season but, in the end, could not compete with the spending power of their crosstown rivals.

United was carried by star striker Wayne Rooney for large parts of the season. "Wazza" recaptured the dazzling form that lit up the Premier League in the 2009-2010 season en-route to recording 27 league goals.

Which ever way you look at it, Rooney was United's best player this campaign.

Newcastle United—Fabricio Coloccini

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The Magpies were the biggest surprise of the 2011-2012 season and were led by their inspirational captain Fabricio Coloccini.

The Argentine appeared in all but three of Newcastle's league games guiding them to fifth place in the league—one spot away from securing Champion's League football.

Coloccini was a physical presence at the back and exuded composure and confidence when on the ball. He made a number of crucial, last-ditch challenges throughout the season and was the best player in a very talented Newcastle side.

Norwich City—Grant Holt

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The Canaries exceeded everyone's preseason expectations, finishing thirteenth in the league.

Grant Holt was Norwich's talisman this season. He scored 15 goals and led from the front. His physical presence and aerial prowess caused problems for even the best Premier League defences.

Norwich played attacking football all season and had a number of key players. However, it was Grant Holt that stood out among them all.

Queens Park Rangers—Jamie Mackie

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Queens Park Rangers somehow managed to avoid relegation with an inspired performance against Manchester City on the final day of the season.

There were no real stand out performers for QPR this campaign as they struggled to compete for large parts of the season, but for me, Jamie Mackie was their player of the season.

What Mackie lacks in skill and talent, he makes up for with endeavor. He showed himself to be one of the hardest working players in the league as he consistently ran himself into the ground.

Mackie is thoroughly deserving of Premier League football next season.

Stoke City—Peter Crouch

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Stoke City had a very ho-hum season.

The usually tight defense was decidedly leaky while as usual they struggled up front, scoring the least goals of any team in the league. Peter Crouch, however, did offer some sort of a threat scoring 10 goals and providing five more.

Crouch thrived with a regular starting berth and wreaked havoc with his deft touch and aerial dominance.

Sunderland—Stephane Sessegnon

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Stephane Sessegnon had a fantastic season for Sunderland.

The Benin international was behind most of the side's best play. He was extremely dangerous in the final third, scoring seven goals while creating nine more.

While Sunderland had other stand out players such as goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, it was Sessegnon that had the biggest impact on the team.

Swansea City—Michel Vorm

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Without goalkeeper Michel Vorm, the Swans may well have found themselves in the Championship next season.

The Dutchman made a phenomenal impact at Swansea following his summer arrival from Utrecht. Vorm kept 13 clean sheets to go along with two penalty saves.

This season, Vorm single-handedly kept Swansea in a number of games. He was somehow able to hold out despite being under intense fire from the opposition.

Tottenham—Kyle Walker

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This season, Kyle Walker developed into one of the best right-backs in the entire Premier League.

He was an ever-present for Tottenham, appearing in 37 league games following a productive loan spell at Aston Villa last season.

The 23-year-old was extremely solid at the back and dangerous going forward, offering a constant threat down the right-hand side of the pitch.

Walker had a fantastic campaign for Tottenham and will be a key player for England at the European Championships.

West Bromwich Albion—Ben Foster

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Ben Foster is another goalkeeper who may well have kept his side in the Premier League.

As it happened, West Brom played in their typical dogged fashion on their way to a top ten finish. Foster recorded two penalty saves and 10 clean sheets as he strengthened his claim for an England berth.

Foster's value to the team was highlighted on the last day of the season against Arsenal, the only game he missed all season. This gave Martin Fulop the start.

To put it bluntly, Fulop was a disaster.

Wigan Athletic—Gary Caldwell

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Here is what manager Roberto Martinez had to say about captain Gary Caldwell.

"He is a leader and someone who has real high standards and that affects other players. I think the biggest strength of Gary is that he has been able to get the whole group together."

Caldwell was Wigan's anchor this season. I think Martinez sums up everything he did for the club brilliantly.

Wolverhampton Wanderers—Steven Fletcher

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The Wolves had a dismal season.

They were relegated well before the final day and their campaign was riddled with in-fighting and conflict.

Steven Fletcher was one of the few Wolves players who put up any resistance. He showed flashes of brilliance and was opportunistic in front of goal.

Fletcher scored 13 goals for Wolves and caused problems for opposing defenses. If only he he had some more help.