PFA 2016: Predicting Player of the Year Award Winners, Team of the Year Analysis
The Professional Footballers' Association has already named its Team of the Year, but it will dole out individual awards in a ceremony at the Grosvenor House in London on Sunday.
Just like the team announced by the association, players from Premier League leaders Leicester City and second-placed Tottenham Hotspur naturally dominate the nominations.
Expect to hear one of Foxes creative winger Riyad Mahrez, striker Jamie Vardy or midfield destroyer N'Golo Kante announced as the main award winner. The only credible challenge is likely to come from free-scoring Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
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Here's a prediction of who will collect the gongs.
Player of the Year: Harry Kane
On the balance of the season, this one should maybe go to Mahrez. After all, no player can match the Algerian midfielder's creative and goalscoring output. He's scored 17 times in all competitions, as well as providing 11 assists in England's top flight, according to ESPN FC.
The Foxes already appear convinced their unearthed gem will scoop the award; Leicester are reportedly even preparing to help Mahrez overcome some tricky travel arrangements to make it to the ceremony in time, per Laurie Whitwell of the Daily Mail.
So why bet against Mahrez?
Well, for one thing, this is a tournament year with England headed off to UEFA Euro 2016 in the summer. Don't rule out voters wanting to increase the confidence of the nation's best striker before the big event.
But the less cynical argument for favouring Kane to win the award is equally strong. It would have been easy to dismiss him as a proverbial "one-season wonder" after he shot to prominence in 2014-15.
But Spurs' No. 10 has made such talk seem terribly foolish with a quite brilliant season. He's hit 27 goals in all competitions, including 24 in the league, per WhoScored.com.
Kane recently addressed how the doubters at the start of the season have pushed him to great heights during the campaign, according to the Guardian's Alan Smith:
"There was a lot of talk at the start of the season. It fuelled the fire in my belly to want to prove them wrong and I’ve gone and done that. It doesn’t stop here for me. It’s not a case of: ‘OK, I’m happy where I am’. I want to go and get more goals, create my chances for the team and do my best for Tottenham Hotspur.
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Kane has done exactly that to be the true catalyst for Tottenham's unlikely title charge.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has received a lot of credit for Spurs' ascent. But the Argentinian has simply made Tottenham a tougher nut to crack defensively thanks to more discipline and better players at the back, along with greater work in midfield.
But it's players such as Kane who win matches and decide title races. While Vardy has slowed somewhat in this calendar year, Tottenham's main main has simply kicked on.
It's no easy feat to top the 20-goal mark in England's top flight two seasons in a row. But Kane has managed it.
He doesn't have the pace of Vardy, the twisty trickery and flair of Manchester City's Sergio Aguero or the raw power of Everton's Romleu Lukaku, but Kane has the only skill that really matters.
He knows how to find the net from anywhere and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
If it can't be Mahrez, it has to be Kane who takes this award.
Young Player of the Year: Dele Alli
Anybody other than Dele Alli claiming this prize would cheapen the whole ceremony. The live-wire attacking midfielder has made Spurs a force because he's given them a legitimate match-winner other than Kane.
Ten goals and nine assists in the league, per the division's official site, mark Alli out as a prolific attacking midfielder. But more than just stats, how Alli approaches the game is noteworthy.
While many of his goals have been jaw-droppingly spectacular, his simple and intelligent passing impresses most. Alli always does just what the game demands of him, rarely delaying a ball when a team-mate is free, rarely overhitting a through pass, rarely trying to get too cute when the simple stuff will work best.
Keeping it simple is a terrific quality for a 20-year-old to have, especially since so many young players are often guilty of overcooking things. But Alli's knack for doing what the game asks has seen him exceed another young creator in Everton's Ross Barkley.
It's also allowed the precocious former MK Dons prospect to form an almost telepathic understanding with Kane in the final third. The two play intuitively, reacting seamlessly to what they expect the other will do.
Their partnership is why Spurs have become such a threat and also why England should be very excited about Euro 2016.
The Team
The PFA recently revealed its Team of the Year:
For many, the big omission was Arsenal's chief creative force, Mesut Ozil. MailOnline's Matt Barlow attempted to explain perhaps why the player with 18 league assists didn't make the cut:
"At the most basic level, when it comes to catching the eye, getting fans on their feet in English football grounds, goals and tricks beat the nice passes and perfectly delivered corners which impress in a table of assists.
Then again, Ozil's efforts would have been more widely appreciated had Arsenal enjoyed more success. The perception of a team will reflect on its individuals. Leicester and Tottenham share eight players in the PFA team.
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Yet maybe it's easier still to explain Ozil's absence. While he started the season in thrilling form, few could argue about how far the mercurial German has tailed off during this calendar year.
To put it into perspective, consider that former Arsenal playmaker and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas recently surpassed Ozil's creative output for this year during a 4-1 away win over Bournemouth, per Squawka:
It's a timely reminder of how quiet Arsenal's No. 11 has been since the calendar turned.
Given the makeup of the rest of the team, particularly its 4-4-2 structure, it'd be tough to find a spot for Ozil anyway.
A berth on the left would make some sense, but few could dispute Dimitri Payet's inclusion. The Frenchman has been a revelation since joining West Ham United from Marseille last summer.
Something of a luxury player, but not in the derogatory sense, Payet has treated Premier League crowds to some true wow moments this season. His free-kicks have gained almost legendary status, while his classy touches, impish flicks and artful passing have also proved a joy to watch.
Payet rates his place in this team for the memories he has already created. While his numbers may never match Ozil's, a player too often lauded for what it says on a stat sheet, Payet is the one who will remain in the mind once this season has been consigned to history.
In this squad, he forms a tantalising, three-pronged source of flair and craft with Mahrez and Alli. Their presence would pile greater pressure on Kante to hold things together.
But the player whose style is at once reminiscent of both Real Madrid and Chelsea great Claude Makelele and the Energizer Bunny could surely handle the responsibility.
Kante's sure tackling, tireless running and deceptively intelligent passing range have provided the platform for Leicester's title challenge. No wonder former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson dubbed the scrappy Frenchman the league's best "by a long way" this season, according to Jonathan Northcroft of the Sunday Times.
The defence's composition of the best from two of the division's three stingiest units seems fair. Leicester and Spurs defensive stalwarts Wes Morgan and Toby Alderweireld are joined by Arsenal's lone and worthy inclusion, right-back Hector Bellerin. The Spaniard's pace and eye for a pass would be welcome qualities in any side.
Whichever player gets your vote, count on the awards falling where they should after a season filled with outstanding individual performers. While the team leans more to the top end of the table, it's tough to dispute the players selected deserve at least some recognition for what they've produced.
