Folks, it is time. Time for the most prestigious titles in Premier League football to be bestowed. There are heroes honoured and there are favourites snubbed (probably), some positions will be unanimous and others full of controversy. Just as with last season, I’ve selected three teams, each with a manager, and none of them were easy to arrange – what I’m saying is: spare me the dramas Liverpool fans, Coutinho ain’t that bloody good.

So, yes, this is all ultimately one person’s opinion (mine, the Wildcard) but you’ll be pleasantly relieved to see that I only picked three Man Utd players and I don’t see much of an argument there about any of them. There isn’t really any definition to the criteria other than that they were the best at what they did all season. Playing time was a big factor but not a decisive factor, there are a couple City players in there that challenge that. The teams are picked in a standard 4-4-2 formation but the positions themselves are fluid, they’re not meant to actually play together I just needed some arbitrary way to pick them.

Look, all will be revealed in due course.

FIRST XI

GK – Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur)

Perhaps not the out and out *best* keeper in the PL (De Gea, Hart, etc.), but definitely in the top five and the Frenchman was the undercover star of the Spurs title race. Only a handful of goalies in the word can match Lloris for shot stopping and his ability to play with the ball at his feet was a big part of the way they do things. The best defence in the League and he was brilliant.

RB – Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur)

I don’t believe it any more than you do but Kyle Walker really was the numero uno right back in 2015-16. Hector Bellerin pushed him close but it is Walker that belongs to that PL’s best defence. It is Walker whose pace and energy down the flanks allows Spurs’ silky attacking mids to drift inwards and link with their striker. It’s easy to forget that Walker once won the PFA Young Player of the Year award but the improvement he made from last season to this, shattering his reputation as a fullback full of mistakes, has been remarkable. Gotta be England’s first choice, surely.

CB – Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur)

Another one from Tottenham. Spurs risked legal repercussions when they snapped Alders up from Southampton/Atletico and yet he was worth every damn bit of trouble. This guy has been the difference in taking them from a solid upper echelon side to having the best defence in England (have I mentioned that?), dominating with his head and continually keeping the lads organised. Chipped in with a couple nice goals from set pieces too.

CB – Robert Huth (Leicester City)

As they say, the only LCFC player already with a Premier League winner’s medal (unless you count Mark Schwarzer’s custom made one, courtesy of Jose Mourinho). No longer the case that, and Huth’s ruthless abilities at the back are a large part of it. Nobody got the best of him physically. Few got past him at all. He was as dominating as they come.

LB – Christian Fuchs (Leicester City)

You can make a serious argument that the most important thing Claudio Ranieri did all season was switch up his fullbacks. Prior to that they were scoring goals and winning games but doing so unsustainably with all they were conceding. In came Fuchs (and Danny Simpson) and the goals dried up a bit, but at their own end more than anything. Fuchs defends like his life depends on it but he also whips in a stunning cross, from open play or set piece, and his early crossing allows him not to overcommit on attack. So crucial for the Foxes.

RM – Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City)

Come on, of course he’s there. The way Mahrez started this season he was like a young Cristiano Ronaldo. The gangly legs, the super speed… step overs and cut backs the likes of which no defender can keep up with. And when he came inside and shot on that left peg of his he was always dangerous. He scored goals to keep pace with the best in the business and set them up almost as often. Tired as the campaign went on yet never lost his potency. Player of the Season right here.

CM – N’Golo Kante (Leicester City)

Players signed out of the second division of France for relatively small fees aren’t supposed to be this good but then that’s just one more unlikely tale in the book of Leicester City. Kante was the engine room. How he was able to cover as much ground as he did, nobody knows. Combative and tireless, Kante was out there disrupting everything, making tackles, interceptions, taking possession, feeding passes to teammates. Everything you need from a midfielder.

CM – Dimitri Payet (West Ham United)

Forgotten in a season of miracles has been the plight of West Ham, but nobody is overlooking their new talisman. You could fill an entire Goal of the Season reel with his efforts. The way he takes control of so much that they do creatively, the way he strikes a free kick or strokes a through ball. There are definite shades of Hammers legends of the past there. WHU fans were always uncomfortable with the pragmatic approach of Big Sam but Slaven Bilic can do whatever he wants tactically because Payet is worth the price of admission alone.

LM – Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)

You know he could break the Premier League record for assists in a season, right? It’s easy to forget the exploits of any Arsenal player because third or fourth is never good enough for the faithful there but Ozil has really found his role now. When he is pulling the strings, Arsenal score goals (even without a real striker…). Hopefully long gone are the days where the German playmaker gets the blame for everything that goes wrong, this fantastic campaign has been at least 18 months in the making. Now, if you want to blame the Arsenal defence…

FW – Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

Another Fox in the first team. Vardy had more yellow cards than goals last season. What he has done these last nine-ten months has been beyond amazing. Vardy’s pace has always been his best attribute but Ranieri gave him the chance to play full-time through the middle and it paid all the way off. His incisive runs led to so many goals and his willingness to keep on making them quickly became the trademark of this team. That he found a rhythm with his finishing to where he could score in 11 consecutive league games, well, that’s the icing on the cake.

FW – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Probably on his way to the Golden Boot, there was no finer striker than Harry Hotspur in 2015-16. Would he prove a one-season wonder? For a month that looked less than unlikely but then a tricky volley in a win over Man City got him started and he never looked back, certainly not after bagging a hatty against Bournemouth. Should he hold on then he will be the first Englishman to win the Golden Boot since Kevin Phillips in 1999-00. Kane is a brilliant finisher but the volume of goals comes from a simple philosophy: he shoots as often as he can. In fact no player in the PL shoots more often. The old adage goes that you don’t score if you don’t shoot. Well, Master Kane is making a career of that. He’s got some sneaky good vision as well, regularly linking up in triangles with the likes of Eriksen and Alli, proving that he’s far more than just a poacher as well.

MAN – Claudio Ranieri (Leicester City)

Dilly-Ding, Dilly-Dong.

SECOND XI

GK – David De Gea (Manchester United)

Quite possibly now the best goalkeeper in the world (I think he is anyway), imagine how different Man Utd’s season would have been if that fax machine at Real Madrid had been working properly. His ability to pull off some of the most incredible saves you’ve ever seen is one thing but his positioning is also second to none and his leadership and command is continually growing. He is so freaking good.

RB – Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)

The rest of the Gunners backline has their question marks but Bellerin is untouchable. At 21 years old, he has the ability to be the best right back in England for the next decade. Watch the way he bursts down the sideline with that speed of his. Note how he links with attacking players and sets up goals as well as any winger. Then consider how solid he really is defensively and Bellerin is the archetypal modern fullback.

CB – Wes Morgan (Leicester City)

Captain Morgan. The sight of their leader hurling himself at shots and loose balls was a common sight at the King Power, Wes Morgan was every bit the leader by example. Here is a player who hasn’t come by the top level easily, spending years in the Championship as a cult hero but one deemed short of top flight standards. Sometimes all you need is a chance. Morgan even popped up with a few key goals late on in the title run.

CB – Chris Smalling (Manchester United)

Midway through last season Smalling was sent off in the first half in the Manchester Derby and his United career was in tatters. After a resurgent finish to that term, he returned this time around as his team’s first choice centre back and ended it as his nation’s first choice too. Always a brilliant tackler, now Smalling appears to have the positioning and mentality to go with it and his touch with the ball at his feet is so much better than what it once was (which was: atrocious). Should be a much bigger threat from attacking set pieces but maybe that’s coming next.

LB – Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur)

Just like so many of his teammates, just like the reputation of his entire club, this was the year when Rose proved that flakiness is not a trait of this Spurs team. Rose does all that Walker does, performing the same great role just on the other side. Any complaints that his defence isn’t up to scratch should be silenced now that he’s made the Spurs left back position his own.

RM – Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

City sure slapped a lot of zeros on that cheque for KDB and yet whaddaya know it was worth it. Transfer fees really don’t matter if you can afford it, De Bruyne quickly displayed that he has it in him to dominate in the Premier League and if he hadn’t been injured then he might’ve challenged the top team. At Chelsea he was undependable. At City he is sumptuous and splendid. More of this, please.

CM – Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)

Scorer of the goal of the season. Alli isn’t always the safest. He gives away fouls and he loses the ball but his youth and energy are huge for Tottenham. Things happen when Alli is involved. He was playing in League One before moving to Spurs last summer and soon enough was playing for his national team. What a story. PFA Young Player of the Year as well.

CM – Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City)

Tell you what, Man United might wish they still had their former youth lad Drinkwater based on recent matches. While Drinkwater has flashed this quality for a while now, this was the first time he sustained it over the full term. A hard worker and a clever passer. Fully deserving of his England debut this year.

LM – Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur)

Like Ozil, Eriksen is the kind of player that is too enterprising to leave out and yet almost too hard to fit in. These kinds of players – Juan Mata and Coutinho are others – find their best positions in between regular positions, which can throw the balance of their teams out. Eriksen and Spurs figured that out last season when they ran their attack through him. This time he played wider and was still able to produce the same, scoring fewer goals but with far more assists. The more shared role makes it seem like he’s less influential however that ain’t the case. Eriksen is involved in almost everything Spurs do on attack.

FW – Romelu Lukaku (Everton)

No, it has not been a good season for the Toffees. But the form of their record signing has been a huge positive. Lukaku had his best season as a pro, scoring goals like he has always shown he can but now really bringing in the intricacies to his game. His hold up play is near unparalleled. His touch has never looked safer. Everton fans are just hoping he held enough back to keep some other team from poaching him.

FW – Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Still the best outfield player in the Premier League but recurring injuries have really kept him back – not only injuries to him but also to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, Aguero’s top providers. Not that you can ever withhold one of the world’s finest centre forwards, as Newcastle defenders will tell you after his five-goal-nineteen-minute splurge against them in October. Crazy to think that a season in which he’s once again comfortably topped 20 goals could be considered below par.

MAN – Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur)

The high energy, the supreme fitness, the high pressing, the defensive security, the fluid attacking mids… all strategies that belong within the Poch Book of Football Tactics. Whereas before he took over they were a team with top six probability despite a mangled roster of mismatched players, now they look a top four force for years to come. They may have fallen narrowly short of the title and they may not find that path so open in the future, but you cannot understate Pochettino’s positive influence. Big wins over the two Manchester clubs only reinforce that.

THIRD XI

GK – Jack Butland (Stoke City)

What a terrible shame that he got injured because at that time Butland was pushing Joe Hart for his starting England jersey. The Stoke stopper has that heroic streak to him, capable of making save after save after save (that game against Newcastle… wow) and while plenty looked towards the Stoke attacking corps for praise, it was their keeper who was really winning them games. And once he went down things immediately got ugly. Funny that.

RB – Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool)

The one player in the Liverpool backline who can feel confident about his place in the team going into the English summer. That includes the keeper. While all others around him were losing their heads, failing drug tests and making weird errors, Clyne was always one to do his job. He’s dropped a team since making my seconds last year but also established himself on a bigger team. This was a good year.

CB – Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton)

The reason why Alderweireld’s loss didn’t matter that much. Van Dijk came over for a middling price from Celtic and proved to be yet another example of the genius Southampton transfer committee. There are some misses in there but not too many. Van Dijk is almost the perfect defender. Quick on his feet and yet powerful, formidable and balanced. Really competitive too which is always good.

CB – Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City)

Hey, some will label this bloke a bust. Those people don’t know football. Otamendi is a superb defender and if only he’d had more consistent comrades beside him then he (and City) may have been higher up the list. Otamendi is a tough tackling player and also a strong leader. Look at how much better Eli Mangala has been beside him. They need to get younger at fullback but if Vincent Kompany and Otamendi are playing at CB, this is a top level defence. Martin Demichelis on the other hand…

LB – Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United)

I love this guy. Just a really honest player who works to his strengths and does so without much ego. While Winston Reid has been in and out with injury and the others swapped for form, Cresswell has been the one consistent all campaign in the WHU defence. Hammers fans like to moan about Mark Noble’s national team snubs but really it is Cresswell that deserves that honour. Scores the odd worldly goal too.

RM – Marc Albrighton (Leicester City)

The final Fox. Albrighton’s value gets slept on so much but so many chances that they created came from his searching early crosses. A couple years ago he was on the scrap heap, released by Aston Villa. Even last season he was a bit-part. But this time he was a valuable regular. Not many goals to his name, that’s not his task. His role was to get that ball into the box as quickly as he could and he did exactly that.

CM – Fernandinho (Manchester City)

City have bottled a lot of this season – at their best they ought to have run away with the title. However not all of their dudes should be ashamed of that. Fernandinho is a player in the unenviable position of having to carry an entire Champions League midfield behind all of those attacking guys, beside the limited Fernando and the often disinterested Yaya and ahead of an ever-changing defence. He did a damn fine job too.

CM – Ross Barkley (Everton)

This was what he was supposed to do last time only for injury to ruin it. Barkley has a tendency to hold the ball too long but there aren’t many players at Everton you’d rather have pulling the strings. With a brutal shot on him and an ever-improving eye for a pass, Barkley is an ace in the hole, a dynamic player who plays like a… dare I say Rooney-esque battering ram. Still on the learning curve, sure, though he’s well on his way to being one of the very best players in the league.

LM – Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City)

Sneaking into the final wing/attacking mid spot is the Swansea talisman. There were solid cases for the Stoke trio, as well as guys like Yannick Bolasie and Willian but Gylfi takes the pick. Frankly, if it weren’t for him the Swans probably would have been relegated. They still need a full on forward for him (and Andre Ayew) to play off but in the meantime Siggy’s creativity got them through.

FW – Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)

Not strictly a striker but he played there several times especially in the early Klopp days and was pretty great. He was 10 outta 10 when they smashed Manchester City. Settled in quite nicely in the end, in what was a difficult situation having a manager sacked early in his time in the country, much quicker than anyone had a right to expect. Tougher than your stereotypical Brazilian playmaker, Firmino is still clever and versatile. And Englishmen still cannot pronounce his name right.

FW – Anthony Martial (Manchester United)

They said he was a waste of money. They said he was too young. Instead Martial announced himself to the world with a wonder goal against Liverpool and even over the course of the season he made significant strides in his game. So fast, so elusive, he was always dangerous but in the last two months as he’s gotten a hold of the pace of things (playing on the left wing) he has been magnificent. He’s not losing the ball nearly as often and every game he’s breaking things open – which this team desperately needs.

MAN – Slaven Bilic (West Ham United)

Big Sam? Nah, not any longer. Bilic was not the first choice to replace Allardyce but he was the fan’s choice as the former Hammer has taken the team to the verge of European qualification (this time on playing merit too). Bilic has shown a wonderful knack for tactics, stacking the midfield in early away games on the way to wins over Arsenal, Liverpool and City, while going with wingbacks on other occasion and typically WHU 4-4-2 formations on others. He had to work with a very scratchy defence initially but overcame that and managed to coax important contributions from most of his new signings as well. Things look bright for West Ham as they move to their new stadium in the coming months.

Multiple Honours & Trivialities

There was one player who managed to hold firm in the First XI, only the one dude. Given that there were six Chelsea players in that (and zero in all three teams this time around), that ain’t a huge shocker. Same goes when you consider how Leicester came from nowhere and Spurs made huge strides. It was from that latter bunch of lads that the one elite repeater came from, a young fella who two years ago was considered little more than squad filler and is now the leading striker for his country. That man… is Harry Kane. Shout out to Harry Hotspur, holding firm while the rest of last year’s class fell back (though Sergio Aguero and David De Gea were close).

All three managers are different this time. Several other players from the 2014-15 lot did repeat across the three teams though. Aguero and De Gea, as mentioned, were first teamers last time and still clawed back into the seconds. The other eight didn’t make it again at all. Christian Eriksen earned his second Second XI nomination, while Aaron Cresswell was again the left back in the thirds. Consistency, lads. Gotta admire it. Southampton have been pretty famous for their player development recently, they were involved in the two players to earn repeat honours for different clubs. Morgan Schneiderlin couldn’t do it but Toby Alderweireld and Nathaniel Clyne could, Clyne dropping from seconds to thirds (still highly commendable) while Toby went from third to first. What a player.

The following players all made teams this season despite it being their first campaign in the Premier League: Christian Fuchs, N’Golo Kante, Dimitri Payet, Kevin De Bruyne (pretty much, he only played three league games for Chelsea so I’m counting him), Dele Alli, Virgil Van Dijk, Nicolas Otamendi, Roberto Firmino and Anthony Martial. Nine players, up from five last season.

The best represented team is Leicester City. Eight players, there isn’t a team out there with a more defined starting side than the Foxes and the only ones ignored here were:

Shinji Okazaki – a wonderful player with so much energy but one whose work tends to be for others, as you can see with his lack of goals.

Kasper Schmeichel – the keeper, who has made some top saves and whose distribution so often helped them begin attacks on the front foot, but one who just isn’t as safe as a number of others in his position.

Danny Simpson – the one weak link in that chain, Simpson has done a fine job at right back, though how he’d fare without the cover all around him is debatable. A solid enough Premier Leaguer.

Obviously Spurs were close there too, gaining seven selections. Serious cases were made for both Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele as well. You’ve gotta think that those two highly consistent starting teams also being the two best this season isn’t entirely a coincidence. Both of their managers also got picked. There were also four Manchester City players, three from Man United, two West Ham players (and a manager), two from Arsenal, two from Everton, two from Liverpool and one each from Southampton, Stoke and Swansea.