da heads bet： With the final ball of the 2014/15 Premier League season kicked, the title, the relegation places, the European qualifying rankings and everything in between now decided, it’s time to reflect upon what has been a typically gripping year in English football.
da aviator aposta： We’ve already had the Player of the Year awards and the PFA Team of the Season, but we at Football FanCast believe it’s time some of the division’s lesser decorated stars are given their spot in the limelight as well.
Therefore, we’ve created this honorary select Xi of rather ambiguous criteria. It’s not so much for those who fall into the ‘unsung hero’ category; rather, for those who haven’t received the recognition that their emphatic form deserves this term.
So without further ado, sit back and enjoy Football Fancast’s underrated XI of the year, filled with the Premier League’s most under-appreciated.
Are these eleven names the real stars of the show in the English top flight?
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GOALKEEPER – Costel Pantilimon
Football FanCast’s Underrated Glove award goes to, without a doubt, Sunderland’s Costel Pantilimon.
Last season, striker Connor Wickham was the miracle that kept Sunderland in the top flight. This year, it’s been the Romanian international, epitomised by his Man of the Match performance during a scoreless draw with Arsenal last Monday that affirmed the Black Cats’ survival.
Despite starting the campaign as understudy to Victor Mannone, the 28 year-old has gone on to record the sixth-most clean sheets and seventh-most saves of any Premier League goalkeeper from just 28 appearances.
Perhaps most tellingly of all, his save success rate of 78.4% is by far the best in the division, outclassing Thibaut Courtois (71.8%), Joe Hart (71.6%) and Manchester United’s David de Gea (69.4%) by quite some way.
RIGHT BACK – KIERAN TRIPPIER
Danny Ings has been the talk of the town at Burnley this season but the performances of right-back Kieran Tripper deserve equal praise.
Last term Trippier added 14 assists to the Turf Moor outfit’s promotion bid and he’s had a similar effect this year, recording the joint-most set-ups of any Burnley player, four, along with the aforementioned Ings.
The 24 year-old also been Burnley’s most prolific creator, with 1.7 chances per match, whilst his 2.4 accurate crosses per match is the strongest return throughout the Premier League.
A lack of top level quality ultimately cost the Clarets in their bid for survival, but Trippier has been providing it all year from right-back.
CENTRE-BACK – JORES OKORE
Tim Sherwood and Christian Benteke will be seen as the definitive factors in Aston Villa’s survival this season, but youngster Jores Okore deserves a noteworthy mention too.
Big things were expected of the 22 year-old when he first arrived at Villa Park two summers ago, only for an ACL injury in September 2013 to rule him out for over a year. The Danish international returned to first team action in November and his performances at the heart of defence have been pivotal.
From his 22 Premier League outings this term the Villains have kept five clean sheets, but perhaps most crucially conceded more than twice on just eight occasions – six of which have come against sides that finished in the Premier League’s top seven.
Regularly filling the void of ever-crocked skipper Ron Vlaar, Villa – who finished just three points off the drop – might not have been so lucky this term if Okore’s return to fitness had happened a few weeks later.
JOSE FONTE
I’d describe public and punditry appreciation of Southampton’s Jose Fonte as largely in accordance with his abilities, but the Portugal defender makes it into this select Xi for one predominant reason – his shock exclusion from the PFA Team of the Year.
No doubt, Chelsea duo John Terry and Gary Cahill have been absolutely fantastic this season, but the Saints finished the campaign with just one more goal conceded and two less clean sheets than the Premier League champions.
Skipper Fonte, who claimed the Player of the Year award at St. Mary’s this season, played in every single minute of their Premier League campaign barring a single game’s absence due to suspension.
In the process, he’s averaged the third-most interceptions per match, 3.2, of any Premier League centre-half.
DALEY BLIND
He may not have the awesome goalscoring record of Radamel Falcao or a record-breaking transfer fee like Angel Di Maria, but pound for pound Daley Blind has proved to be Manchester United’s best signing of summer 2014.
Utility men of the Netherlands international’s variety tend to fall into two categories; they’re either equally terrible in every position or equally brilliant.
Blind firmly belongs in the latter, producing equally strong displays at left-back, left wing-back, central midfield, defensive midfield and even making a few outings as an emergency centre-half, whilst his two goals of the campaign clinched United vital draws against West Bromwich Albion and West Ham – just as the pressure was beginning to mount on Louis van Gaal.
Clearly a victim of his own versatility, Blind will likely always dodge his fair share of the praise at Old Trafford. But in my opinion, the 25 year-old would be a huge asset to any top European club.
Defensive Midfield – KI SUNG-YUENG
So underrated he didn’t even claim Swansea City’s Player of the Year award, Ki Sung-Yueng might well be the most underappreciated central midfielder in the Premier League.
He’s been the metronome in a Swans side that have now recorded their highest ever points total of the Premier League era, conducting traffic with deft flick-ons and neat one-twos to record a pass completion rate of 89.9%, whilst shielding the back four with his exceptional anticipation – epitomised best by his 1.8 interceptions per match.
But most impressive of all is the 26 year-old’s goal tally. Eight goals makes him Swansea’s top scorer in the league – with the exception of Wilfried Bony, now with Manchester City – whilst Yaya Toure and Steven Gerrard are the only Premier League centre-mids to have scored more this year.
There isn’t too much speculation in the tabloids at the moment but something tells me England’s top clubs will be considering bids for the South Korean this summer.
Central Midfield – JASON PUNCHEON
Yannick Bolasie is the first name that comes to mind when reflecting upon Crystal Palace’s many fantastic performances under Alan Pardew – but Jason Puncheon has been the real star of the show.
With six goals and seven assists in 31 Premier League starts, he trumps the Congo winger in terms of output and has been the driving force in the Eagles’ midfield, epitomised best by his impressive averages of 1.8 shots, 1.8 chances created, 1.6 successful dribbles, 1.8 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match.
Pardew hailed the 28 year-old as Palace’s best performer earlier this month as he signed a contract extension until 2019 and Football Fancast firmly agree. The south London outfit’s Player of the Year award, however, went to Scott Dann.
Central Midfield – JAMES MILNER
The undisputed king of modern day unsung heroes in the Premier League, despite receiving more adulation than normal this season James Milner was always going to make this select Xi. In fact, he’s wearing the captain’s armband.
The England international has just ended his strongest campaign to date for the Citizens, claiming five goals and seven assists in the Premier League whilst also netting a vital Champions League goal against Spartak Moscow, but received just 18 league starts from Manuel Pellegrini.
Yet to extend his contract past the end of the season, the 29 year-old will most likely leave the Eithad this summer – hopefully for a club with a much better appreciation of his many talents.
Right Wing – WILLIAN
If James Milner were to pass on his crown as the Premier League’s least-sung of unsung heroes, his successor would undoubtedly be Chelsea’s Willian.
The 26-year-old will never be a world-class talent in the same vein as Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa or Eden Hazard, largely due to his ever-underwhelming output. This season he’s bagged just two goals and three assists in 36 Premier League appearances.
But the Brazil international’s incredible industry and work-rate has been equally as pivotal to the Blues’ successful title bid this season, providing intrinsic balance to Hazard on the other flank and epitomising everything about the Jose Mourinho philosophy.
Likewise, he’s absolutely lethal on the counter-attack, with his power, pace and dribbling ability laying the framework for countless Chelsea goals this year. He’s very much the assistor to the assistor, the instigator of attacking moves others take statistical credit for.
Perhaps most tellingly of all, Willian’s importance to Chelsea has increased as the season’s gone on.
LEFT WING – Nacer Chadli
Admit it. You thought Nacer Chadli was a waste of space and so did we at Football Fancast. He’s one of many Tottenham signings who left an underwhelming impression last season but the Belgium international has hit back in emphatic fashion, bagging eleven goals and five assists in 28 Premier League starts.
Harry Kane has been the talk of the Lane this season with supporting act Christian Eriksen not too far behind – largely due to his unique ability to bag last minute winners for the north London club.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s side wouldn’t have finished in fifth without Chadli’s goals either. In fact, the 25 year-old’s strikes have proved decisive on five occasions this term – earning the north Londoners four draws and one win.
Striker – MAME Biram Diouf
Due to the fact strikers are by nature the habitual stars of the show, choosing a front-man for this select Xi was the toughest task Football Fancast faced.
Crystal Palace’s Glenn Murray, Southampton’s Graziano Pelle and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy were all in the mix but we’ve gone with Stoke City’s Mame Biram Diouf – purely because his fantastic form in front of goal hasn’t received the column inches it deserves this season.
The 27-year-old may not be the greatest front-man to ever face the Premier League but his eleven goals for the Potters is a significant achievement in itself. No striker has scored more for the Britannia outfit in a single campaign throughout their Premier League history.
It caps off a sensational season for Mark Hughes’ side, in which they recorded the highest ever points total and joint-highest league standing of the Premier League era.
Subs Bench – Honourable Mentions
Adrian – The Spaniard rarely gets discussed as one of the Premier League’s top goalies but he’s been in sensational form for West Ham yet again this year.
Ashley Williams – As consistent as ever, if Ashley Williams wasn’t already held in high regard he would’ve made the starting XI.
Ahmed Elmohamady – The wing-back can hold his head high despite Hull City’s relegation. He’s been their biggest threat going forward and made significant contributions in defence too.
Lucas Leiva – Liverpool’s upturn in form around Christmas time coincided with the Brazilian’s return to the starting Xi. He’s averaged the most tackles per match, 3.9, of any Premier League player this year.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – The Swansea midfielder is little too unappreciated the PFA Team of the Year but a little too appreciated to make our starting Xi.
George Boyd – The Scotland international has given Burnley absolutely everything this year, grabbing five goals and two assists whilst averaging the eighth-most tackles per match of any Premier League player.
Jamie Vardy – Only an England call-up has stopped Jamie Vardy making the starting Xi. Five goals and eight assists doesn’t tell anywhere near the whole story of the striker’s influence on Leicester City’s survival.