TOTS Premier League Predictions

It’s that time of the year again where we are going to look at the best performers from each of the top divisions. We kick off the predictions with the Premier League which consists of a lot of familiar names but also some youngsters who have broken through during the 2021/22 campaign. Please note all statistics are correct as of 13/04/22 and we could see 18 initial players but over the course of the promotions I would expect 23ish players from each of the top five divisions.
 

Goalkeeper

Edouard Mendy – GK - OVR 83>>92
Usually, in a TOTS the goalkeepers are relatively routine but this season was different for the Premier League with several really making their claim. Alisson and Ederson are both backed by superb defensive records but are perhaps gifted via defence and thus not having much to do for large periods while Ramsdale has received multiple plaudits for his performances at times but has conceded a lot of goals. Any of those three could end up featuring however I have opted for Mendy. There have been several games this campaign in which Mendy has singlehandedly secured the points for Chelsea and on top of that, he also has a superb record with just 23 goals conceded for the season. There are a lot of variances on this position but I do feel if Mendy is not in, he is once again robbed of a spot in a major side.

Defenders

Joao Cancelo – LB - OVR 86>>93
It’s crazy to think that when Cancelo first came to Manchester City after impressing over in Italy for Juventus that he struggled to get into their side and this lasted for quite some time. Once the Portuguese defender broke into their team there was no looking back though and since has developed into one of the best defenders in the world. Cancelo is looking for his second consecutive TOTS spot and was even included in the most recent TOTY. It’s been another strong showing domestically for City this season, currently battling it out with Liverpool for the title. Rotation is a big factor in Peps side but with Cancelo playing 29 from a possible 31 it shows just how important he has been for them. The only debate here is if his rating will be above or below his TOTY card. My personal view is the same as always and that’s that the TOTY should be the highest rated card a player can get.

Virgil Van Dijk – CB - OVR 89>>96
There were a lot of question marks surrounding VVD and his performances after a long period of time out with injury and as is usually the case for players he struggled to get back into the swing. His performances as a whole this season have been impressive though and he has shown exactly why he is one of the world's best defenders. Liverpool's defence record is superb and a large reason for that is VVD, with the fullbacks being very attacking it's crucial that they have that final line of defence and Virgil does it superbly.

Ruben Dias – CB - OVR 87>>96
It’s rare to see a player feature in TOTY and then fail to make their league's TOTS and although it does happen, I don’t think Dias will be one of them. The Portuguese CB has perhaps not impressed as much as he previously has but when the expectations of him are so much higher now that’s no surprise. The city defender has still performed to a ridiculously high level and I fully expect to see him feature on EA’s side. He is the man behind the best defence in the league after all.

Trent Alexander Arnold – RB - OVR 87>>95
Ever since his breakthrough season at the mere age of 20 Trent has developed into one of the best wingbacks in the world, at least for the role he excels in. Despite struggling to gain the RB position for England, when he is given the freedom to get forward there is nobody that does it better than Trent. Liverpool has given him the freedom again this season and he has rewarded them with two goals and twelve assists, which when you consider that Liverpool has only conceded twenty times this season is a tally that you won’t find anywhere else. It will be TAA’s fourth consecutive place in the Premier League TOTS and I can see that number continuing to increase for as long as Liverpool remains as dominant as they do.    

Midfielders

Heung Min Son – LW - OVR 85>>95
I am surprised that Son is still playing for Tottenham in truth with the Korean being levels above the current performances of Tottenham and could fit in to almost any side in the world with no trouble whatsoever. Son has now been at Spurs for seven full seasons and this will be his fifth TOTS inclusion during that period. Tottenham currently does sit in the Champions League position and I do feel that they need to hold onto that spot in order to keep Son and especially Kane. With 17 goals and 6 assists, it is practically inevitable that Son is included in this side.

Kevin De Bruyne – CM - OVR 91>>95
Currently, the biggest problem with KDB is managing his fitness and preventing injury but when the Belgian is fully fit, he is among the best in the world without a doubt with his vision being second to none. Although game time has been limited once again for KDB with just 19 starts to his name his performances on the pitch simply have to justify his position in the squad. He is the catalyst to a very creative City side and with eleven goals to his name you can always count on him to score the big goals. There is a reason why KDB gets into every TOTS/TOTY possible and I can’t see it stopping here.

Bernardo Silva – CM - OVR 86>>94
There are a lot of high-end players which will likely miss out on this side with the likes of Rodri, Fernandes, Fabinho, Sterling and Mahrez simply due to the limited number of positions available. Out of all the said players, I do think that Silva has been the stand out player. With seven goals and three assists, he has offered a lot from a central side of things while also doing the leg work for the club. We have not even spoken about Jorginho and Kante, who have both received a TOTY this season but I honestly have not even considered those two.

Mohamed Salah – RW - OVR 89>>97
For the fifth consecutive season, Salah has recorded ridiculous numbers for Liverpool in the Prem and shows no signs of slowing down. He is already going to go down as one of the all-time greats and he still has numerous seasons in the tank yet. The Egyptian is currently the leading goal scorer with twenty to his name and with the next best at just 17, it looks as though he will be awarded the golden boot come to the end of the campaign. With ten assists to his name also it’s probably not the only award he will pick up come to the end of the season, especially if Liverpool goes on to win the title

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo – ST - OVR 91>>96
Including Ronaldo in this side is somewhat controversial with fans having mixed opinions on what he has bought to the side since returning. One thing you can’t ignore however is the fact he scores goals. Twelve for a player of Ronaldo’s stature is perhaps underwhelming but looking at it as a whole it is enough for a player to be awarded a spot in TOTS. You have to also consider his reputation and the amount of extra promotion and packs sold it brings to EA by simply including him. Even as a fringe player statistically I am so confident on EA opting for the big players and Ronaldo is as big as they get.

Harry Kane – ST - OVR 90>>96
It's been far from Kane’s most impressive season with the Englishman struggling at the start of the season for from in a drastic manner. I believe he has now done enough to justify a spot in the side with both Sons and his own form especially helping to carry Tottenham back to the top positions in the table. Despite his early goal drought, he has still managed to find the back of the net on twelve occasions and provided eight assists. Again, not his best numbers but still a very respectable tally to have in such a high rated league.

Substitutes

Jose Sa – GK - OVR 79>>90
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been one of the shocking sides this season with their defensive record really standing out and allowing them to climb up the table. They currently sit up in eighth and have an outside chance of Europe. The whole defence has played a role in their success but Sa has been brilliant between the sticks. Although he doesn’t have an IF to date he has been snubbed on a few occasions. With just 28 goals conceded in 32 matches, the fourth best defence deserves some recognition and Sa is the likely man for that.

Andrew Robertson – LB - OVR 87>>94
It seems ludicrous having a player of Robertson’s caliber on the bench for a TOTS side but it simply speaks volumes for the quality the premier league possesses in the wingback department. With two TOTY standard players in the starting eleven, there is no way I can justify putting Robertson over either of them. That’s taking nothing away from Robertson however who has been magnificent again this campaign. With a goal and ten assists to his name, he has continued to provide that attacking threat he is well known for alongside helping Liverpool to an impressive defensive record too.

Antonio Rudiger – CB - OVR 83>>93
It’s easy to include Liverpool and City defenders with both brilliant offensive and defensive records however Chelsea really does deserve some recognition. With 13 clean sheets in total, they maintain one of the best shut out records in the prem. Either Rudiger or Silva could get the nod for the central options but with Rudiger being a much better option in terms of FIFA I feel that EA will opt for him over the Brazilian.

Jarod Bowen – RM - OVR 78>>91
With the usual sides dominating the Premiership this season I wouldn’t expect to see much deviation in terms of expected sides. West Ham has impressed though and could easily see a few players included. One that looks clear cut is Bowen. The Englishman has impressed throughout the season becoming one of their most crucial players. In terms of his numbers with nine goals and eight assists, he is right up there when it comes to midfielders. Bowen has been much more important to West Ham than just the numbers though.

Sadio Mane – LW - OVR 89>>96
Liverpool's front three have been one of the best around for multiple years now and although it has been Jota instead of Firmino for large periods recently the point still stands, with all three producing results week in and week out. The debate between Salah and Mane has perhaps been at the biggest gap this time around but Mane is still more than deserving of a spot on this side. The Senegalese winger has scored thirteen times, making him the fourth highest goal scorer and from LW you simply can’t ignore that.

Mason Mount – CAM - OVR 83>>90
With Chelsea ending last season strong and winning the Champions League, many expected them to give both Liverpool and City a real challenge for the 2021/22 title. Although that didn’t work out, they have still been more than respectable and look set to finish third, albeit quite some distance between the top two. Mount has continued to develop as a player and looks to have a ridiculous career ahead of him. With 18 goal contributions in 27 matches from an attacking midfield position, I can’t see a scenario where EA fails to include Mount.

Diogo Jota – ST - OVR 82>>90
Although Jota’s best performances have been while Liverpool has played him out wide, with the majority of his matches being played centrally I expect his TOTS to be a ST/CF. Although that is of course up for debate. Either way the Portuguese forward will be included in the side and has developed into a first team starter for Liverpool this season and taking that role well at that. Jota currently has 15 domestic goals to his name and although he has just the solitary assist his role in the side will definitely be enough for his TOTS.

Reserves

Reece James – RWB - OVR 81>>92
Reece James doesn’t get the credit he deserves at times although recently the press has started to get behind him and it's fully deserved. The Chelsea fullback has developed into one of the best RBs in the world and despite having difficulty getting into England starting eleven I feel that should England continue to leave Trent out that James will be the man to claim that role. James has eleven goal contributions this campaign with five goals and six assists despite injury limiting his game time. The Englishman does have 19 appearances under his belt though and should he continue injury free for the rest of the season he will definitely have enough game time to be included in this side.

Connor Gallagher – CM - OVR 74>>92
To think that Gallagher started the year as a 74 rated rare is crazy for what he has managed. The 22-year-old is now well and truly in the England set up having impressed for Palace, who currently sit in a respectable 10th place in the table. Although with eight goals and three assists there are players who trump him statistically, I feel that the hype around him currently speaks for itself and will help to carry players like him into the side whether it’s the initial squad, mini release, objective or SBC.

Buyako Saka – RM - OVR 80>>92
Talking of young talents breaking through this season Arsenal has hosted many, most of which are midfielders with Saka, EMR and Martinelli all performing superbly. I can only see one of these players ending up in the TOTS though and when narrowing it down it simply must be Saka. The youngster has featured in TOTW three times and with nine goals and five assists is among the higher overall goal contributions. Arsenal started the year horrifically but has since recovered well and competed for a CL spot for the 2022/23 campaign.

Declan Rice – CDM - OVR 82>>92
A second West Ham option is Declan Rice. He may well get overlooked however with the hype around him this season and a likely big move occurring in the summer I would expect his name to be high on EA’s list. It’s easy to look at the attacking side of the statistics and pick players based on those but there are players like Rice who also deserve the recognition. He allows the attacking players to do what they do and without him, West Ham would be lower than what they are currently in the table.

Ivan Toney – ST - OVR 76>>90
There were conversations comparing Toney to Mitrovic with the circumstances being very similar. Toney broke the Championship goalscoring record for a single season with 31 last campaign and although that has now been broken the point still stands heading into his first PL campaign. I think that he will be happy with what he has achieved, scoring twelve times and assisting another four. Brentford will remain in the Premiership for 2022/23 despite many predicting them to go straight back down and Toney’s threat in front of goal has been a massive help towards that safety.