Joe Hart took away the starting role from Shay Given between the pipes this season for Manchester City and lead them to a third place finish and qualification in the Champions League. He was the model of consistency in the Premier League. Hart was 1 of only 6 goalies to play all 38 games in the league this season along with Petr Cech of Chelsea, Pepe Reina of Liverpool, Tim Howard of Everton, Brad Friedel of Aston Villa, and Ben Foster of Birmingham City. Among starting goalkeepers, he conceded the least goals in the premier league at home with just 12 in 19 games and he was tied for the premier league low with just 33 goals allowed in 38 games. Hart allowed just 0.87 goals per game, which was tied with Petr Cech as the low in the league. Hart led the Premier League and set a Manchester City single season record with 18 clean sheets. Hart also led the premier league with a save percentage rate of over 75. Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said about his starting goalkeeper, “I think Joe is young and can improve a lot but he can also become one of the top goalkeepers in England history... He can improve a lot in his job because he is a fantastic keeper. He is as good as Cech and Van der Sar. He is younger than them but he can become like them. Joe broke the record for clean sheets and has been a solid rock and, in every important crucial game for us, he has come up with the goods. In the Tottenham game, he made some pretty crucial saves, and in the final against Stoke he made an instrumental save, without which the game could have gone in a different direction.”
Center Back: Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United
In his first year as captain of Manchester United, Vidic led United to a Premier League title. He started all but three games for the champions. Although Vidic was sometimes guilty of committing silly fouls, his toughness led a defense that allowed just 38 goals during the season, which was tied for the 3rd least in the Premier League. He also scored the fifth most goals for United with 5 including a goal against Chelsea off a corner to give United a 2-0 advantage in the game. He was very dangerous off set pieces the entire season. Vidic was named the English Premier League Player of the Year for his importance to the United back four.
Center Back: Vincent Kompany, Manchester City
A huge reason behind Joe Hart's success this season was due to the unbelievable play of his central defender Vincent Kompany. Kompany started 37 of City's 38 Premier League games and was mr. reliable in the back. Roberto Mancini said about his center back, "Vincent can become number one in the world. He has always played at a high level. When he was at Anderlecht and I was at Inter, I wanted to buy him. He was a good player then. He has improved a lot and now is one of the top defenders in Europe. But he can improve even more. Vincent is incredible. He has a fantastic mentality. His attitude has been excellent. Without doubt he has been one of our top players this year." Kompany was awarded the Manchester City Player of the Year for his role in the City back four. Kompany was so good this season fo City that both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are now interested in buying the defender.
Full Back: Leighton Baines, Everton
The English defender had a great season for Everton with a career high of 5 goals and 11 assists, which was tied for the third most in the Premier League and most among defenders. He played every minute of every game for Everton in the Premier League. Baines was voted the Player of the Season for Everton to top off his unbelievable year. Everton manager David Moyes sai about his left back, "Leighton has had a realy good season.He has played well - been good going forward, created goals, and scored some goals. Where I go people ask me about Leighton Baines. They can see how well he is doing and what a great season he has had." Like Vincent Kompany, Leighton's great season has attracted other clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City. Roberto Mancini values Baines so much that he is willing to spend 25 million on the left back.
Full Back: Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea
This selection is a combination of the lack of star power at the right back position and the quality season that Ivanovic had for the Blues. As always, Ivanovic was very dangerous in set pieces and strong in the air, as he scored 4 goals for Chelsea in the Premier League. The right back was a key component to Chelsea's offense, as he constatly was getting forward into the attack. Ivanovic was also one of the nominations for Chelsea's Player of the Year award. His outstanding season was rewarded with a new five and a half year contact with Chelsea, which will last until the summer of 2016.
Midfield: Rafael Van der Vaart, Tottenham Hotspur
Rafael Van der Vaart nearly went to Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window for 18 million pounds. As the deal collapsed, Van der Vaart fell right into Tottenham's lap for an unbelievably cheap 8 million punds, especially for a world class player like Van der Vaart. Although he missed 10 Premier League games, Van der Vaart still scored 13 goals, had 8 assists, had 113 shots including 41 shots on goal, which all led Tottenham. Van der Vaart had a nack of coming through for Tottenham when they really needed it and always scored the big goal. In Tottenham's second to last game, Van der Vaart scored the opening goal of the game in the 9th minute and helped Tottenham secure a spot in the Europa League with a 2-0 victory. Luck enough for Spurs,Van der Vaart said he isn't going to leave White Heart Lane, so he can play in the champions league. He said, “I won’t be looking to leave Tottenham to play in the Champions League. I have only been here one year and I have really enjoyed my first year. Of course I want to be playing in the Champions League. Every player is the same. But I don’t want to leave and will see what next season will bring."
Midfield: Luka Modric, Tottenham Hotspur
Modric pulled all the strings and was the playmaker for the Spurs. His stats of just 3 goals and 2 assists don't tell any of the story of how great the Croatian international was for the Spurs. His ability to see the field and pass was unmatched in the Premier League. Like Van der Vaart, Modric always came thorugh when Tottenham needed him. In Tottenham's second to last game, Modric scored on a penalty kick in the 56th minute and helped Tottenham secure a spot in the Europa League with a 2-0 victory. He led Tottenham in games played at 32. Harry Redknapp isn't the only coach he believe that Modric was the best player in the Premier League this season. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglsih said, "Jack Wilshere has shown that he is a top-class player. But my personal favorite this season is Luk Modric, a really gifted footballer who, at 25, is going to entertain us for many years ahead."
Midfield: Charlie Adam, Blackpool
Although his side was relegated, Charlie Adam had a fantastic first season in the Premier League. The Blackpool captain was tied for 12th in the Premier League with 12 goals and was tied for 10th in the Premier League with 10 assists. He also led his team in shots with 112 including 35 shots on goal, while missing just 3 Premier League games. Adam did his best to keep Blackpool from being relegated. He scored 3 goals in Blackpool's last 5 games. On May 7th against Tottenham at White Heart Lane, Adam converted on a penalty kick that helped Blackpool stay in contention to stay in the lead with a 1-1 tie on the road. On May 14th against the Bolton Wanderers, he scored the game winner in the 63rd minute in a 4-3 victory. Even on the last game of the season against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Adam scored in the 40th minute to tie the game at 1 before United won 4-2. The speculation can now begin on where Charlie Adam will be next season.
Midfield: Jack Wilshere, Arsenal
The 19 year old midfielder was absolutely fantastic this season in the Premier League. He showed that he is a complete midfielder who can do nearly everything on the pitch. His combination of speed and quickness with vision and passing made him one of the best players in the Premier League this season. Wilshere's ability to play any position across the midfield allowed Wanger to utilize the full array of Arsenal's skillfull midfielders. His manager Arsene Wanger said about him, "He's a box-to-box player, more than just a holding midfielder. But to be honest, he can play in any position across the midfield. He can play behind the striker because he can penetrate." Wilshere's outstanding play was recognized as he was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year. England boss Fabio Capello said about Wilshere, "... he plays without fear, and with confidence. Also, for somebody so young, he is a leader. It is incredible. I never saw someone so young be a leader on the pitch. It is incredible... As a young player, I think he is at the top, not only in England but Europe and the world."
Striker: Carlos Tevez, Manchester City
Tevez was tied for the Premier League lead with 20 goals this season and Manchester City needed every single one of his goals. Aside from Tevez, no other Manchester City player had more than 8 goals. Tevez scored a third of City's goals during the season. He also led Manchester City with 120 shots including 45 on goal. Only one other Manchester City player had over 50 shots and no City player had more than 20 shots on goal. He was also second on City with 6 assists. Tevez was arguably the most important player to City's third place finish and qualification in Champions League. In the thirty-one games Tevez played in (30 of which he started), City was 18-7-6. In the 7 games Tevez was out, City was just 3-1-3. However, Tevez has recently admitted he wants to make a move away from City to another club during the summer. He said, "I want to leave Manchester City. Football has changed a lot from me and I don't know if I will even make it to the next World Cup. And that has nothing to do with wheather I'm selected or not.... I need a change of scene."
Strike: Javier Hernandez, Manchester United
Hernandez, commonly known as Chicharito, had an outstanding season for the title winners. His paternship with Wayne Rooney up front, led to a league high 78 goals including a league high 49 at home. Hernandez was tied for 6th in the Premier League with 13 goals in only 27 appreances. It is even more impressive that he only played a full 90 minutes in the Premier league 7 times and he only started 15 games. He played his best towards the end of the season. Chicharito scored a huge goal on April 23rd against Everton in the 84th minute, which gave United a 1-0 victory. The huge win point United 6 points clear of Chelsea instead of just 4. His biggest goal of the seaon came within the first minute of United's huge game with Chelsea on May 8th. It gave United a 1-0 lead, which they never surrendered and won the game 2-1 at Old Trafford, which virtually wrapped up the league title.
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