B/R Football's 2024-25 Premier League Team of the Season
A long 38-game campaign that began in the heat of August ended with Liverpool lifting the Premier League Trophy for the second time in five years on Sunday.
But while there was little drama in the title race, there will be intrigue in our Bleacher Report Premier League Team of the Season.
Spoiler alert: the guy in the photo made the team.
Who else graced our Top XI? Our Leo Collis and Nick Akerman had the final say on the team and manager as we pick the best of the best.
Disagree with our choices? Share your thoughts now in the comments section of the app!
Goalkeeper: Matz Sels, Nottingham Forest
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It’s easy to forget Nottingham Forest had a goalkeeper issue last year. Matz Sels’ form has made a mockery of the previous rotation and saw him finish joint-first in the Golden Gloves running alongside Arsenal’s David Raya with an impressive 13 clean sheets.Sels’ most important quality is that he can be trusted. He’s a great shot stopper, physically dominant when balls swing into Forest’s box and he sets the tone for what is now one of the Premier League’s meanest defences. Forest finished seventh with Sels making the fourth most saves in the division, an indicator that his form played a major part in the run to the Conference League.At 33, Sels could be considered something of a late bloomer. To even be in the conversation for Team of the Season after the club’s dice with relegation 12 months ago is remarkable.
- Nick Akerman
Right Back: Daniel Munoz, Crystal Palace
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It took both Palace and Munoz a while to get going this season. Even without the FA Cup triumph, they both managed to find their momentum under the guidance of Oliver Glasner, who is proving to be a man worth sticking by.
Munoz finished last season strongly and enjoyed a quality summer with Colombia. His confidence is boundless when Palace play well, and once Glasner settled on the right balance, he started impacting matches in the way supporters were excited for before the campaign began.Four goals and five assists in the Premier League doesn’t quite tell the entire story. Only Idrissa Gueye and Casemiro averaged more tackles per appearance, and Munoz was 21st in the league for interceptions per match, according to WhoScored. All action, all the time.
Like many at Selhurst Park, Munoz is likely to attract major attention across the summer. Losing the 28-year-old could be more impactful than seeing Marc Guehi finally move on, such is his infectious quality.
- Nick Akerman
Center Back: Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool
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Captain of the runaway title winners. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
Virgil Van Dijk has contended with doubters for a few years now. Rival fans have almost willed him to fail since returning from his cruciate ligament tear in 2021. There’s perhaps an argument he’s not quite as physically dominant as before then, but make no mistake about it, his intelligence and reading of the game means he remains one of the best centre-backs in the league who doesn’t play for Arsenal.
Van Dijk also remained solely focused on his performance level while the media continued to drum up stories around his expiring contract. He’s now put that to bed and will remain with the Anfield club as Arne Slot’s era looks to build on its triumphant start, a boost for everyone who feared he may do a Trent Alexander-Arnold and call it a day.There’s a sense that, like Nemanja Vidic at Manchester United, or John Terry at Chelsea, Van Dijk’s leadership elevates everyone at Liverpool. His exit may well be more difficult to negate than Jurgen Klopp’s was, so it’s important he continues to dominate on the pitch as long as possible, giving Slot the chance to adequately plan for the future.
- Nick Akerman
Center Back: Nikola Milenković, Nottingham Forest
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Either of Nottingham Forest's center-back duo could have suited up here, but Nikola Milenković narrowly gets the nod. The Serb was a low-key arrival at the City Ground in the summer, but he's proved to be an absolute bargain at €12.3 million.
In an era when playing out from defense is essential for any top-flight Premier League team, Milenkovic is a bit of a throwback. That doesn't mean he can't play a pass when he needs to, but clearing the lines is more of the 27-year-old's bread and butter
According to WhoScored, he was 15th in the league for aerial duels won per game and 12th in successful clearances per game.
That's part of the reason why Forest have the joint-sixth-fewest goals conceded in the league, which helped to earn a club that battled against relegation in 2023-24 a place in the Europa Conference League for the upcoming campaign.
Aside from being a defensive colossus, he's also come up with some vital goals. He scored five in total in league play, and he found the back of the net in narrow victories against Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham United.
- Leo Collis
Left Back: Antonee Robinson, Fulham
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Antonee Robinson has slowly morphed into the Premier League's best left-back.
Not only is his 2.6 tackles per game good for the 14th-best in the league, according to WhoScored, but his forays forward have resulted in 10 assists. That put him joint-fourth for the campaign, level with Bruno Fernandes and Bukayo Saka and more than Heung-Min Son and Cole Palmer.
The USMNT star has been resilient, too, missing just two games as Fulham secured an 11th-place finish.
His performances in both matches against champions Liverpool were notably impressive, with the 27-year-old keeping Mohamed Salah quiet and grabbing two assists at Anfield.
Confidence at the back and in the final third make Robinson a frustrating proposition on the left side, and he's been responsible for no end of headaches for both defenders and attackers all season long.
- Leo Collis
Center Midfield: Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool
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Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk might get most of the plaudits for Liverpool's memorable title-winning season, but Ryan Gravenberch might have been the Reds' most important player.
The Premier League's Young Player of the Season had an underwhelming first season on Merseyside, but the arrival of Arne Slot proved to be transformative.
After just 12 starts in his debut campaign, Gravenberch was on the teamsheet in 37 of the Reds' 38 games, missing only the meeting with Chelsea when the title had already been wrapped up.
The Dutchman's composure on the ball, reading of the game, fearlessness in the tackle, and ability to connect the defensive and attacking lines have been crucial for Liverpool.
He's made the center midfield position his own, and he's possibly saved the club millions in the process.
- Leo Collis
Center Midfield: Declan Rice, Arsenal
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Declan Rice’s season has me wondering if there’s even more to come. We’ve known he’s an all-round excellent midfielder for years now. He covers ground, he can tackle, pass, and he is capable of contributing to plenty of goals.
That last point has really come to fruition this season; Rice tallied nine goals and 10 assists across all competitions. The two unbelievable free-kicks against Real Madrid are obvious high points and showcase his quality from set pieces. Yet, it’s the late runs into the box and his finishes from open play that are nagging me.
Is there a shout that Rice could fulfil a Jude Bellingham-style role? His work on the edge of Arsenal’s box is still important. He regularly breaks up play and starts moves from deep. It feels like Mikel Arteta is just starting to realise how decisive Rice can be when allowed to constantly push on alongside his defensive duties.
The manager needs to allow this to happen again next season, even when Arsenal’s squad is fully fit and midfielders aren’t being forced to double up as strikers.
- Nick Akerman
Center Midfield: Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool
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Ryan Gravenberch’s improvements have rightly accumulated most of the plaudits this season. His rise is partly down to the quality of those he plays alongside in a system that allows the midfield space to work.
Alexis Mac Allister is one such player, often overlooked, yet pivotal to everything Slot wants his team to do.Mac Allister’s calmness on the ball relieves plenty of pressure for the Reds. He has a great knack of picking up possession and knowing what speed to hit at the right time. If Liverpool are under pressure, he’s great at slowing down, circling back and recycling. If Liverpool are launching a counter, he’s able to get his head up and cut a pass through to forwards that make devastating runs knowing where the ball will go.
The World Cup winner isn’t the quickest or the strongest. It doesn’t matter one bit. That connection with his teammates, who can rely on him to clean up in whatever way is needed, makes him an incredible asset for the champions.
- Nick Akerman
Right Forward: Mohamed Salah, Liverpool
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There's not a lot to be said about Mohamed Salah that hasn't been uttered already.
The Premier League Player of the Season is also the league's top scorer with 29. Meanwhile, a combined 47 goals and assists has him tied for the most in Premier League history with Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole, who put up those numbers when seasons were 42 games long.
Just when it seemed he would be winding down his Liverpool career, the winger pulled out a campaign for the ages, coming up clutch on multiple occasions and basically dragging the Reds to their 20th top-flight title.
While he slowed down a little in the final weeks, his job was pretty complete by April. But given the world-class standard he set in the months prior, it was entirely understandable that he couldn't quite maintain the blistering pace for a full 38 games.
- Leo Collis
Center Forward: Alexander Isak, Newcastle United
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A few years ago, Alexander Isak was billed as the ‘next Zlatan’. That’s some major pressure, even if it wasn’t meant too seriously. At 25 years old, the prolific Swede is now very much his own player.
That player finished second in the Premier League golden boot race, only behind Mohammed Salah. He’s also arguably the most desired striker in the world.Newcastle just about managed to secure Champions League football, despite their final day defeat to Everton.
That may well be vital in keeping Isak at St. James’ Park. Either way, he will be in Europe’s top competition next season and most likely ripping it up for whoever he’s playing for.
- Nick Akerman
Left Forward: Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford
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In Brentford's second-best-ever Premier League season, Bryan Mbeumo stepped up to fill the void left by the sale of Ivan Toney.
The Cameroon international scored 20 and provided seven assists, with his combined total of 27 beaten by only Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah.
It's going to be tough for the Bees to keep hold of the 25-year-old, who has improved season upon season to become one of the league's most-feared attackers.
He's formed a fine partnership with Yoane Wissa, who almost matched his output (19 goals, four assists), but it's Mbeumo who really stood out for his dribbling ability, pace and willingness to carry the team on his back.
- Leo Collis
Manager: Nuno Espírito Santo, Nottingham Forest
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Somehow, Nuno Espirito Santo has earned Nottingham Forest a ticket to the Europa Conference League after saving the Tricky Trees from relegation the season before. It's hard to overstate just what an achievement that is.
The Portuguese took a little while to find a preferred starting XI, but when he did, he relied on consistent selection and defensive stability to deliver Forest's highest league finish since the 1994-95 campaign.
Moving Neco WIlliams to left-back, playing Elliott Anderson in a physical, hard-working midfield two, and somehow getting Chris Wood to become absolutely lethal upfront, as well as establishing one of the best center-back pairings in the league, have all been crucial decisions contributing to Forest's unlikely climb up the table.
A run of six straight wins during the difficult December-January period got Forest as high as third, a position the Reds held until mid-April. A poor run during that month saw them fall a few places, but finishing seventh would have been far beyond the wildest dreams of any Forest fan at the start of the campaign.
Tensions between Nuno and club owner Evangelos Marinakis may see the East Midlands love affair end prematurely, which would be a huge shame. The Forest boss deserves to enjoy the spoils of his incredible work next season.
- Leo Collis
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