PL TOTS Predictions

Starting Eleven

First up we have arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. While United have strengthened as a whole this season, there have still be moments of pure magic where De Gea has single handedly won his side points. With an average of 3.1 saves a game, a total of 16 clean sheets and just 23 goals conceded in the league so far, he is more than deserving of this first spot.

Its clear as day that Manchester City have been an unstoppable force going forward, however what can easily be overlooked is just how solid they have been at the back. With just 1 loss, 3 draws and 21 goals conceded all year, the stats alone show how well organised they are. Walker has been a huge part of this, playing in almost every game and even wracking up 6 assists along the way.

Chelsea have had far from a successful season, however Azpilicueta’s transition from full-back into centre-back seems to be going from strength to strength. With 30 goals conceded in the league and 14 clean sheets, team stats don’t jump out as remarkable however without this man things would be a hell of a lot worse. With 6 assists and even a goal to his name as well, we find yet another reason to include this man.

We move onto our second Manchester City player and with it, their second defender. Now Otamendi has been a fundamental part of their rise to glory and his 8 yellow cards in the league only show his drive and passion. With four goals and a total of 15 clean sheets so far, it becomes extremely difficult to leave this man out.

Next up we have Ashley Young, yet another piece of United’s defensive puzzle that has preformed fantastically this season. As mentioned above, United have only conceded 23 goals so far this year but Young has not only contributed to his defensive duties, he has also been solid going forward as well. His 2 goals and 3 assists in the league is simply the cherry on the cake and with it he nestles in nicely at LB in these predictions.

There are simply no words to describe just how incredible this mans vision and understanding of the game is. Almost everything he touches turns to magic and hence it’s no surprise that De Bruyne leads the league for assists. City have scored 88 goals across their PL campaign and with 7 goals and 15 assists, De Bruyne has been a part of 25% of this. We shouldn’t be talking about whether he makes the TOTS, it should be whether or not he wins POTY.

From one incredible midfielder to another now as we move on to David Silva. Now when you order a sandwich, you concentrate on what the filling consists of and very rarely do you take the time to appreciate the bread that holds it together, Silva is that bread. Absolutely fundamental in City’s success however we rarely see his name in the spotlight. His incredible work levels, drive and passion are never lacking, while his 8 goals and 11 assists this season once again prove his importance.

Chelsea have had a difficult season, whether it’s new signings not quite performing as expected or the manager/players losing the passion they had last year, things haven’t gone quite as planned. On top of this Hazard has had the challenge of adapting to central role for the majority of the season and hence his stats aren’t quite as impressive as previous years with just 11 goals and 3 assists. Despite this, his work ethic and passion always shines through, which is why he has 8 man of the match awards and also makes our list.

What does £37 million get you in the current market? One fifth of Neymar? Roughly a quarter of Coutinho? The left leg of Harry Kane? Well it bought Liverpool 29 Goals, 9 Assists, 8 man of the match awards and a solid POTY candidate. Salah has been nothing but breathtaking since joining Liverpool in the summer and there is no chance that the leagues top scorer doesn’t make this TOTS.

Up until his recent injury, Kane and Salah were neck and neck in the race for the golden boot. Every year you think this man may have peaked, he comes out stronger with a new arsenal of tricks and talent to display. Tottenham have scored 62 goals in the league and when one player is responsible for 24 of those alone, you know you’ve found something magical. Even though he sits 5 goals behind in the race for the golden boot, don’t rule this man out quite yet!

Manchester City have scored 88 goals in their league campaign so far and when one man has scored nearly 25% of these, he can’t go unnoticed. With 21 goals, 6 assists and just 22 starts in the league this season, Aguero has been a staple in a dominant City squad. Imagine what this man could have been capable of, with this team, with these players, if he had managed to stay fit for the entire season.

Substitutes

At the start of the season if somebody told you that Burnley would be fighting relegation, most wouldn’t have been too surprised. They exceeded all expectations, currently sitting in 7th place and with a defensive record that directly competes with the top clubs. With 11 clean sheets, only 27 goals conceded and an average of 3.2 saves a match, Pope has been nothing short of incredible this season.

Arsenal have had far from the season both players and fans were hoping for. Currently sitting outside of European spaces, despite some big money transfers, they would need an incredible run of form to even give themselves a chance of this. While their defensive line has been shaky at best, Monreal has really been a diamond in the rough. With 4 goals, 2 assists and a solid average rating across the season, he is Arsenal’s only hope of a blue card this year.

Next up is a 30 year old Belgium center-back, who despite changes and rotations throughout the squad has remained consistent and adaptive across the whole season. With 26 goals conceded and 14 clean sheets across the season, Tottenham have shown their strength defensively and Vertonghen has been at the core of this.

We have already seen Pope feature in these predictions, but with a backline as solid as Burnley’s this season, leaving out Tarowski would be a criminal offence. The stats speak for themselves, 27 goals conceded and 11 clean sheets, it’s absolutely unbelievable. On top of this, Tarkowski has also wracked up four MOTM awards, further cementing his place in these predictions.

Watford currently sit comfortably in the middle of the table and with only 6 games remaining it feels sensible to assume they are safe. Doucoure has been absolutely vital to their safety and a total machine in midfield. With 7 goals and 2 assists to his name he plays a part going forward, but with his endless stamina and box to box mentality he has also been a rock defensively too. Competition for spaces is tougher than ever this year, however I believe he may have just done enough.

We have already touched on Tottenham’s goal scoring record but what we haven’t looked at is just how fundamental Eriksen was to this success. With 8 assists and 8 goals across the season, his stats simply don’t do him justice. Creative movements and moments of inspiration often start with Eriksen and this is the reason he just has to make the list.

City already have around a billion players included within these predictions, so including yet another was an incredibly tough decision. Now while we have spoken about their top defensive players or goal-scorers, what we are yet to look at is the glue that holds everything together. Fernandinho has been absolutely phenomenal this season, controlling the midfield, defensively dominant and has even scored 3 and assisted another 3 along the way.

As a Liverpool fan it pains me to include this youngster, but nobody can deny just how incredible his development and improvement has been this season. Sterling has been a part of over 25% of Manchester City’s Goals in the league, scoring 16 and assisting a further 7 of the 88 scored so far. He is surely one of the front runners for the young POTY award and hence simply has to make this lineup as well.

From one Manchester City youngster to another now, where we find the young German superstar Sane. With 9 goals and 11 assists across the season, this man will be directly competing with Sterling for that young POTY award and while his best form may have been in Europe, his contribution in the league is simply too impressive to ignore.

Leicester aren’t quite the side they were a couple of years back when they won the league and have struggled to replace some of the quality they lost. A few superstars still remain though and Mahrez certainly fits into this category. Leicester have scored 47 goals in the league this year and Mahrez has played a part in 18 of those. With 10 goals and 8 assists surely Mahrez deserves his spot amongst the elite.

As a Liverpool fan, words cannot explain just how important this player is to the club. Firmino has been at the heart of everything this season and while his goal scoring record may not match that of Salah’s, the role he has played has been the foundation of what Liverpool have built. Talking figures though, Firmino has still provided 14 goals and 7 assists which is yet another reason we see him standing strong in this line-up.

After his big money summer transfer, people were expecting Lukaku to literally revolutionise football as we know it. The reality is that expectations were clearly set too high, Lukaku is still young and although his season wasn’t what people hoped for, it was still incredibly solid. Manchester United have scored 60 in the league so far this season and when we consider that Lukaku has been a part of over a third of these, it suddenly becomes clear just how important he was. With 15 goals and 7 assists to his name, I believe we will be seeing a blue Lukaku in a matter of weeks.

Honorable mentions

Leaving this man out was extremely difficult, but with EA only usually choosing two goal-keepers and with the amount of City players already featuring, he sadly just fell short.

This guy has been sensational for Tottenham at the back and while he may not be included in the predictions, I don’t think anybody would be complaining if he ended up stealing a spot.

Defensively sound for Liverpool and his improvement across the season has been remarkable. The one concern would be his lack of game time towards the start of the season and goals compared to others.

Mustafi has had some fantastic games this season, however he has also had some absolute nightmares. Sites such as whoscored rate him very highly across the year though, and this could be enough to see him sneak in.

Matic has once again done what Matic does best, basically everything. Once again he has been incredibly solid, holding down the midfield and standing strong in front of the defence. Seeing him sneak in wouldn’t be a bad decision, it just feels that others have done more.

Mooy has had yet another great season in the centre of Huddersfield’s squad. The issue we face once again is that others were simply stronger across the year.

Now this one is gonna cost me. Leaving Son out of the initial squad will cause uproar across the FIFA community, however if we are totally honest, he probably falls just short. Now we could see him squeeze in, and we wouldn’t complain at all, but based on stats and performances, he falls just short for me.