Leicester, Manchester City and West Ham each have two representatives in the competitive arena of the best central midfielders this season.
10) Yves Bissouma (Brighton)
The exploration departments and transfer networks Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City apparently have little in common, but the only part that ties them together is the jewel in a crown at 16th. The numbers suggest Brighton should be higher, but the eye supports the statistics when it comes to Yves Bissouma.
The 24-year-old has one goal, no assists and eight yellow cards to go with a red one, but otherwise has no weaknesses or flaws. He has grown into a phenomenal box-to-box midfielder with the height, strength, skill, technique, and spatial awareness to thrive at a much higher level. It is a testament to Brighton’s ability to identify and develop talents that Bissouma has completely surpassed them.
9) Rodri (Manchester City)
It was quite a journey for Rodri, whose difficult first season in the Premier League was followed by a ‘confusing’ defeat for Leicester at the beginning of this campaign. He and Manchester City came up with the equation to surprising effect against winter and the only time Rodri has looked back since then is to recycle the property between Ruben Dias and John Stones.
He is the facilitator, the midfielder who ungratefully lays the foundation for Manchester City’s brilliant attacking nodes. But Rodri’s greatest achievement is adding another dimension to this title-winning squad: they have won the most aerial duels (80) and committed more fouls (44) than any Sky Blue player. Contrary to public perception, Pep Guardiola You probably appreciate it more than its ever-expanding reach.
8) Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United)
This was not the first top season without errors. Kalvin Phillips must have been thinking about retirement plans during halftime against Manchester United in December, when he was replaced by Leeds 4-0 behind Old Trafford after 45 minutes. But he showed mental determination to match his physical prowess in the wake of that deviation to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with at the heart of this beating team.
Phillips has missed enough games to provide insight into how Leeds is doing in his absence, providing an accurate measure of his overall impact. They won just three of the ten games he failed to start, with the other seven losses including four-goal beatings from Leicester, Crystal Palace and Arsenal. His PPPG (Phillips Points Per Game) was 1.79 compared to 0.9 without it. The 25-year-old weaves everything together with Marcelo Bielsa, which has not always been the easiest task for Bryan Robson’s successor.
7) Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City)
The final question mark around Wilfred Ndidi and if he could do it The next step He always cared about his property in possession. Few have questioned his defensive instincts, energy, or reading of the game as the only player who can literally and figuratively challenge N’Golo Kante in terms of the sheer number of tackles and interceptions. But with Brendan Rodgers, the Nigerian has further refined his game, posting a passing accuracy of 75.9% and 76.1% respectively in his first half of the season and full campaign in the Premier League, down from 85.1. % in 2019/20 and 86.9%. . in 2020/21.
After four and a half years of organic and symbiotic growth in your brilliant Leicester team, there can be no more stars. Ndidi is just a great midfielder who can defend against any opponent. He even showed his tactical versatility by starting the season in the middle, with four assists representing a career highlight. His defensive outing is an offensive weapon in its own right, but the ball before Kelechi Iheanacho’s glorious salvo against Burnley in March showed its evolution.
6) Fabinho (Liverpool)
There is an argument that Fabinho should not qualify for this list, as most of his Premier League appearances came in central defense out of necessity. But before anyone raises that logic, consider this: Nobody cares if you shut up.
The transformative impact Fabinho has on Liverpool’s midfield is worth acknowledging. His only loss in the still significant number of games he played in his natural position was the cathartic 7-2 loss to Aston Villa in October, and even then the Brazilian withdrew for the last half hour to liven things up. only admit three more times. That was the exception to a season of trustworthy rules. a player who can never be moved againeven in an emergency. It is too important to sacrifice.
5) Declan Rice (West Ham)
If you are so good that someone is willing to lose your dream job About his obsession with you, that bodes well. Declan Rice will be associated with all manner of suitors again this summer, but his time as West Ham’s honorary captain for a possible permanent coronation next year has brought out the best in him. The Europa League is the lowest platform you should get from this point.
It’s impossible to know how his absence affected West Ham’s season-ending form. Rice sidelined six games from April 5 to May 9, including wins over Wolves, Leicester and Burnley, as well as losses against Newcastle, Chelsea and Everton. The 22-year-old missed 15.8% of the season, but 27.3% of his losses throughout the season fell during that time. Upon his return, West Ham played one match and won two. Simple rice has never been so tasty.
4) N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Even in a relatively quiet season, Kante is king. Thomas Tuchel happily accepted the midfielder as a gift” on his date at Stamford Bridge and has yet to lose a Premier League game at Chelsea in which the Frenchman has played. In the last seven games he has missed, the Blues only beat Burnley in January, signed with Wolves and Brighton and lost to Leicester, West Brom, Arsenal and Aston Villa. Chelsea tends to have a solid defense with some excellent individual talents on offense, but without Kante as a channel it can be disjointed and chaotic.
His last loss of competition was against Manchester City in January, when Kante was left as the only Chelsea player within 70 yards of his own goal when they attacked a 2-0 free throw back. That’s vaguely complementary to his thirst for power – for a manager to believe he’s a valid lone safety net that can only frustrate all opponents. In fact, Kante was not that good at best, he had never been a player, but he has the power to make you believe as such. This season has passed closest to N’Golo peak since winning his second title.
3) Youri Tielemans (Leicester City)
It seemed strange then and has been exposed as incredibly bizarre since Leicester walked Youri Tielemans in the summer of 2019. The Belgian had impressed on loan at King Power Stadium and immediately adapted to the Premier League, but Brendan Rodgers had no competition with his puzzle pieces. more dazzling in this intriguing puzzle.
Tielemans was actually a bit of a disappointment in his first full season, but he has improved in all respects since then. He has played at least 1,016 more minutes in all competitions than any other Leicester outfielder without showing the same signs of mental and physical fatigue as some of his teammates. His defensive awareness has improved exponentially. The goal that won the FA Cup was just the most recent in a series of great goals accompanied by great assists. Next time Tielemans hits the market, there will be riots instead of tumbleweeds.
2) Tomas Soucek (West Ham)
For a time it seemed that Tomas Soucek was scoring every week. From November 7 to February 3, he scored eight goals in 15 games for West Ham, including a pair of 1-0 victories over Fulham and Evertonas well as an early double in the 3-2 win against Crystal Palace in January. Even when he joined the national team, he scored a hat-trick with the Czech Republic in March.
It was extra bonuses, added benefits from the incredibly efficient work of the most effective midfielder in the Premier League. Soucek has been a revealing £ 15m signing for West Ham, at least 14km more than any other top tier player and third in the top five European competitions with the most aerial duels won (234). Marouane Fellaini cut her hair and gave it a first touch.
1) Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
After missing the start of the season due to the corona virus, Ilkay Gundogan slowly made his way into the Manchester City squad. He started just two of his first eight Premier League games, leading 90 minutes each in a 1-1 draw against West Ham and Liverpool. By early December, he had played as many times as Eric Garcia and more or less.
Then the German exploded in conjunction with the club. Manchester City won 15 consecutive Premier League games from December 19 to March 2, Gundogan started all but two games, scoring 11 goals. He became key to Guardiola’s machine as his Frank Lampard, matching the former Chelsea midfielder and your soul mate as the lowest-scoring scorer of a Premier League champion with 13 in May. Only Heung-min Son scored the most (6) in games between Big Six teams when Gundogan tied Mo Salah at five.
It would be a cruel irony for slight knee anxiety to exclude him from a second Champions League final and a chance to mirror his scoring performance in the first in 2013 and avenge that loss at the same time. Gundogan has managed to overcome his long-term injury problems to capitalize on consistency this season and contribute more than anyone to the title.
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