Premier League Team of the Year 2015: Predicting PFA Best XI Line-Up
The Professional Footballers' Association will celebrate the Premier League's best and brightest on Sunday when it announces which stars have made the 2014-15 Team of the Year.
Also being announced that evening will be the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year accolades, but the Team of the Year selection process is one that looks all the more enigmatic by comparison.
Hundreds of Premier League players may be considered candidates to make this season's lineup, but in the end, only 11 will make the cut.
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Read on for discussion of who we think has the best chance of weaving their way into the mix, fielded in a 4-4-2 formation.
| Goalkeeper | |
| David De Gea | Manchester United |
| Defence | |
| Branislav Ivanovic | Chelsea |
| Aaron Cresswell | West Ham United |
| John Terry | Chelsea |
| Jose Fonte | Southampton |
| Midfield | |
| Nemanja Matic | Chelsea |
| Cesc Fabregas | Chelsea |
| Eden Hazard | Chelsea |
| Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal |
| Forwards | |
| Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Diego Costa | Chelsea |
Goalkeeper
Manchester United's fortunes this term have been far from consistent, but one of the few components in their setup boasting some sense of solidity has been goalkeeper David De Gea.
The Red Devils' No. 1 has had to contend with a season's worth of transfer speculation insisting he could be en route to Real Madrid, with the Irish Independent even reporting the deal has been agreed:
But despite all those distractions, De Gea has been the guardian at Louis van Gaal's gates responsible for some portion of the club's points tally merely through his own goalkeeping heroics.
Ten clean sheets this season may not be the most impressive statistic around, but De Gea's individual achievements of 2.09 saves per game and 2.23 saves per goal certainly are.
Defence
Two names who should be considered definite nominees for the 2014-15 Team of the Year are that of Chelsea stalwarts Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry, each of whom have been critical to the Blues' title push.
Right-back Ivanovic has shown peak form at times this term with four goals and five assists to his name, earning the praise of the Guardian's Daniel Harris during the recent 1-0 win over Manchester United:
Terry, meanwhile, although not as offensively imposing, has played in every Premier League outing this season and looked typically imperious under Jose Mourinho's command, winning 67 percent of all duels.
On the left flank comes the more unassuming figure of West Ham United's Aaron Cresswell, whose efforts this season have been sufficient to court Chelsea's attention, according to The Telegraph:
With four assists to his name, Cresswell isn't the most prolific full-back in the division, but the 25-year-old has been terrifically balanced and brought shape to a West Ham team that's improved this term.
Instrumental to Southampton keeping the best defence in the league, we could also see Jose Fonte partner Terry in centre of defence, with the Portugal international helping Ronald Koeman's side concede just 24 goals in 33 games.
Midfield
Three Chelsea midfield talents almost nailed on for a place in the Team of the Year are Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas.
Of those, Hazard is as close to a definite inclusion as it comes, headlining the Player of the Year shortlist after scoring 13 goals and making nine assists this season.
Just as his flash and flair in attack have been instrumental, though, Matic and Fabregas have acted as a midfield tandem almost equal in terms of importance, with the Serbian in particular showing stellar consistency throughout.
Per Squawka, Matic has made more tackles than any other player in the Premier League this season, while Fabregas has been a vital passing conduit for the league leaders, albeit slumping in form as the months have gone by:
The only non-Chelsea star likely to break up that Stamford Bridge reunion is Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, whose maiden campaign in England will end with the Chilean having played an instrumental role in the Gunners' rise.
After signing from Barcelona last summer, Sanchez has flourished as a more prominent star under Arsene Wenger, hauling in a very respectable goal tally considering the magnitude of last year's move:
Forwards
Contending fiercely with the aforementioned Hazard for this year's PFA Player of the Year award is Tottenham upstart Harry Kane, who's causing a mass of excitement among England fans.
Having bagged 30 goals across all competitions this season (20 in league competition), Kane has had a breakout campaign under Mauricio Pochettino, but he recently told Spurs TV (h/t Irish Independent) he won't be stopping there:
"It's great to reach that milestone. It felt like I was on 29 for ages and to be able to get to 30 now and 20 in the league is special - and to win the game makes it even better. The season doesn't finish here, though. There are still five more games left and I'll be trying to get on the scoresheet in as many of those games and get as many wins as we can.
"
It's that kind of maturity that's undoubtedly played a helping hand in guiding the 21-year-old to joint-top of the Premier League scoring charts and earned him international honours to boot.
And despite his hamstring concerns this season, Diego Costa is another Premier League debutant likely to line up in the Team of the Year at the first time of asking.
The Spain international hit the ground running following a summer switch from Atletico Madrid and took the English top flight by storm, netting nine goals in his first seven outings.
While that ratio may have waned as his season has gone by, Costa's record of 19 in 24 appearances is still a daunting one and played its part in shooting Mourinho's men to the summit early this term.
All statistics come courtesy of Squawka.
