Which two centre backs should be in the EPL team of the season?

Just had a look at some GK stats for this season. Pickford and Heaton are indeed impressive. No one's made more saves than Heaton, and he's kept 9 clean sheets in the PL.

Fraser's kept 11 btw. Who'd have thought?

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/stats?competition=1&category=goalkeeping&sort=10

 

You're just perpetuating the national media's prejudiced bias for the big clubs, I went for Keane as one of mine because he has earned it on merit IMO.
By your logic, Matty wouldn't have made the TOTY in 1994-95, when he was clearly one of the best players in the country (I think he should've won POTY!).

 

My guess is you dislike him because you know he'd take you out of the game

 

I see "team of the season" being the best players over the course of the season, in theory shouldn't that mean that the team that won the league be "team of the season" as they have consistently been the best? The Defoe example is a good one as I agree that with the (probably) less chances he has had compared to a Costa/Kane/Lukaku/Aguero then 15 is a good return, though I personally would still have Kane and Costa ahead of him in my team of the season (and Lukaku and Aguero if there were more than 2).

The goalkeeper one gets brought up every year, and every year it is the same. There is always keepers at smaller teams and relegated ones who everyone is raving about. They have more opportunity to show off their ability than the keepers at better clubs as they are playing for the weaker teams in the league. Put De Gea (for example) at Sunderland and he would have been getting just as many plaudits, probably more, as Pickford because he is a better goalkeeper. This position is tricky as obviously the argument can be made for the smaller teams keeper having a better season as they have better shot save % or made more saves overall or made more eye catching saves, but Pickford has still let in enough goals to see Sunderland rooted to the bottom of the league.

 

A team is made up of 11 individuals (or 25 if you count the whole squad). Quite often the best squad wins the league and quite often there are stand out individuals, such as Costa, Hazard, Kante at Chelsea for example, that doesn't mean that the rest of their team are the best in their positions in the league. Where would Arsenal be without Sanchez and Manure without Zlatan?

 

are centre backs that important?

 

I agree to an extent, but the players you've highlighted are the reason why these teams are good. And the Zlatan/Sanchez references dont disprove my point. The "team of the year" this year should be made up of Chelsea and Tottenham players because they have been the best players this year

 

They've been the best teams. It's a jig-saw of several pieces and an excitable man once said, it is the sum of those parts that make it good, rather than the individual pieces. Thus, other individual pieces may be better.

Was Danny Fox the best left back in the championship when we went up?

 

I would expect players from the most successful clubs to dominate in team of the year, but not necessarily for each position. Top clubs can carry a few less able players, whereas a team lower down may have achieved a reasonable position or avoided relegation mainly due to one or two stars. A team of the season which included only players from one or two clubs would suggest a very unusual season or laziness on the part of the people choosing it. Rather like when one film runs away with the Oscars....was either the greatest film in a year of mediocre films or the voters were lazy and carried away with hype.

 

No, Dan Harding was!

 

Really? So Costa and Harry Kane are both better than Ibrahimovic? I don't agree.

And Sadio Mane? He'd be in my team, probably ahead of Hazard.

 

No, but Ian Harte was. I think, for example, that VVD would be a great asset to any team in the league, but I wouldn't have him in my team of the season because in my view Luiz and Alderweireld have been better over the course of the year. It doesn't mean that I think VVD is a worse player, just that those 2 have been instrumental in helping their respective sides finish higher than many expected, and in Luiz's case winning the title (probably).

 

Better in terms of who I'd want in my team if I had pick a side? No, I am a massive fan of Ibrahimovic and have been for years, was probably one of the few Englishmen who cheered his hattrick (?) against England with the ridiculous overhead as I thought that might finally mean people in England would start to take him seriously rather than the tired "well he was **** against Liverpool/Chelsea/Arsenal/Utd in the Champions League so he must be gash".

But yes I would have Kane and Costa, and Lukaku fwiw in my team of the year over him. Aguero is more debatable, and I probably would side with Ibra there just because I am biased

Mane wouldn't make my team, and if he were he wouldn't displace Hazard as he has been phenomenal this year.

 

Lloris
Walker Toby Virgil Rose
Dembele Kante
Mane Ali Hazard
Kane

Although I am quite open to someone other than Lloris. Quite a few contenders there, without a massive stand out in my view (in part because the top keepers invariably play behind the best defences, so don't necessarily get the chance to really show themselves off. Partly why De Gea has been so outstanding in recent seasons, because the Utd defence in front of him has forced him to show off his abilities!).

Only two Chelsea players in there, but that is in part due to the formations - on two counts. Firstly, I don't think a 4-2-3-1 is suited to Luiz or Alonso for example. Secondly, because it's down to formations, tactics, management etc that Chelsea have been so impressive. Yes they have quality players, but aside from Hazard and Kante, not really anyone that is sufficiently good enough to walk into the sides of many of their rivals etc. They are a great team, I don't necessarily think they a great individuals.

 

I agree on Luiz and Toby but becaus they've played great, not because their teams are up there. It is the pieces altogether that make the team and a player not in a top side can still have had a better season than one who has.

Did you consider Bravo* for your goal keeper? His team are third.

* I know, but I'm using an extreme to make a point

 

I agree with pretty much your whole team bar Kane.

For me, I'd have any of Ibra or Costa ahead of him.

As good as Kane is, when he's not scoring I don't think he contributes enough in those games, against the big teams espescially.

In that sense he's massively behind that pair imo, particuarly Costa.

Obviously he is still very young with plenty of time to improve, but is streets behind those 2 currently in my book.

 

"Streets behind" ????? Tough crowd!

Not sure you're not thinking about Zlatan from a few years back. Not sure he's done that much apart from the goals.

 

Why I said particuarly Costa

And yeah maybe that was a bit harsh

Do think he needs to learn how to influence games when not scoring though as he has pretty much everything else.