This article is the sole place where you will find the definitive team of the season for the 2021/2022 Premier League season. Any other list is wrong, including the official one from the PFA.
GK: Alisson Becker – He had an absolutely torrid year last season. With everything that went on in his personal life, and his dreadful form (especially against Man City) made last season a season to forget for him. However, you can make an argument that the reason Liverpool played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid is because of this goal against West Brom last year:
And this goal carried his form this season. He has been the best keeper in the league bar none for me this season. Alisson and his fellow countrymen, Ederson are tied for the lead in clean sheets with 20 in the Premier League but just with the Kent eye-test, Alisson Becker has had a better season than Ederson. When it comes to 1 on 1 goalkeeping, there is not a better keeper in the world this season than Alisson Becker. Especially this season, Alisson has seemed to make the saves that he isn’t supposed to make to supplement the routine saves you would expect a PL goalkeeper to make. Ederson definitely has the edge when it comes to ball-playing but at the end of the day, I want my keeper to keep balls out of the net and nobody did it better than Alisson this season. (He also has a magnificent beard).
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – In an absolutely stacked position this PL season, one stands above the rest. “Trent can’t defend”, “Trent is a turnstile on defense”, we can go on and on about how Trent isn’t Paolo Maldini when it comes to out and out defending. But when it comes to offensive production, I haven’t seen a fullback like Trent with this technique and quality on the ball ever. His ability to create goal scoring opportunities from the right flank that is already supported by Mo Salah makes it almost impossible to defend Liverpool, hence the success Liverpool have had since Trent’s introduction in the 2017/2018 season. Trent has 12 assists in the Premier League season, only trailing his RW partner Mo Salah with 13 assists (the fact that they are on the same team, on the same side is a joke). Trent also has 19 assists in all comps this season. It’s an absolute joke that Trent produces the amounts of assists that he does, especially in a back 4 where his defensive duties are more prevalent than a RWB in a back 5. Just an absolutely absurd and talented individual and more than deserving RB of the season.
RCB: Thiago Silva – It was tough to leave out both Manchester City CBs but it was tough to separate Laporte and Dias from each other especially given Dias’ injuries in the second half of the season. You can 100% argue that Dias should be on this list but it would be tough to see where Chelsea would be without Thiago Silva. Antonio Rüdiger is the one that secured the move to Real Madrid but I would argue Thiago is the most important CB of the bunch at Chelsea. The way he calmly passes out of pressure, never looks rushed or out of place. He 100% benefits from the 3 at the back system that Tuchel puts out there but something has to be said with how much reliability he exudes on the pitch at the ripe age of 37.
LCB: Virgil van Dijk: Somewhat of an overrated player for me, not that I don’t think he is absolutely fantastic, but more so the liberties that pundits and fans take when they talk about him and his standing as an all-time Premier League CB. I do not think he is anywhere near that level but I digress, he was clearly the best CB for me this year. What VVD does so well is his ability to rarely put himself in dangerous situations for his defenders, what I mean by this is his positioning is pretty much always spot on. There is a nonchalance to his game that I personally despise but respect when it comes to VVD being able to do that at this world class level. What he does better than pretty much every defender is that he never dives in whatsoever, which is great in making sure you never look bad but it also puts him in positions to where he is mostly never beaten off the dribble, relying on his size and pace to keep with attackers instead of making taking chances on tackles. When speaking out about the other CBs in the Prem this season, his underrated counterpart Joel Matip had injury concerns throughout the season, Harry Maguire is Harry Maguire, Rùben Dias concerns are stated above, Varane needs Sergio Ramos to hold his hands, Konaté didn’t get enough playing time, etc.
LB: João Cancelo – He might be the best overall player in the league when it comes to all-around play when it comes to shooting, passing, dribbling, pressure resistance, poise, etc. Even though it took a year for him to acclimate himself into the league, City was able to offload Danilo for Cancelo is highway robbery of the highest order. There are times when his defending could improve which makes sense why it took so long for Pep to put him in the starting XI, what he produces offensively, especially on his weaker side makes him absolutely world class.
His goal against Newcastle just tells you all you need to know about this guy, the fact that any PL player scored this goal amazing, let alone a fullback. 1 goal and 7 assists this PL season for the Portuguese, he fell off a bit for me towards the end of the season, but for me, a clear choice for LB of the season.
CM: Rodri – For me, he is the POTY season. KDB is more than deserving, but what Rodri provides City is irreplaceable given the current roster construction of the team. Rodri’s ability to retain and cycle possession for City while maintaining their defensive structure just makes it more laughable that Pep didn’t start him in their CL final against Chelsea.
This season more than ever though, he put in the odd goal here and there, providing 7 goals for his team, none bigger than the one to put City back on top for their title defense:
What he does so well is so underrated and is at a higher level than what Fernandinho did so well for these City sides the past few seasons which is a combination of protecting the back 4 and starting Man City’s attacks. The reason why it’s vital that Rodri takes up positions in defending his back 4 is cause City play with such a high line where any thing Rodri can do to stop the opposing team’s counters and point of attacks is a must for Pep’s City teams. What makes him so frustrating as a player that supports another team is his ability to stop other team’s momentums through clever body positioning and fouls that completely stops the other team’s momentum. He is such a willing and smart defender who also is an above average ball winner. Whatever he lacks lacks in out and out athleticism he more than makes up through positioning and tactical ball winning.
In attacks, as Pep loves to do, he loves to release his wingers and full-backs down the flanks in hopes he can get a diagonal ball out wide for them to play a ball back across the penalty area and Rodri is perfect for this facilitator role.
The best player in the league this season for me.
CM: Declan Rice – Started off the season very strong and weakened out towards the end but more than deserving of a spot on the TOTY even with West Ham making a run towards the Europa League SF. Physically, he has everything you want from a PL CM, he’s durable, legitimately covers box-to-box, and doesn’t shirk his defensive duties. If given the opportunity, I’d like to see him get forward more as you’ll see him complete a few mazy dribbles through the midfield but doesn’t happen as often as it should. Get him as a 8 in a midfield 3 and I think that is how a West Ham would get the best out of him.
CM: Kevin de Bruyne – Officially, the Premier League Player of the year and is probably the right choice for the award even though I would’ve given it to Rodri. KDB had injury issues at the beginning of the season but powered Man City to the title with Liverpool creeping behind and also had some luck with Mo Salah’s dreadful 2022. There is a theory out there about how KDB doesn’t show up for the big matches for City and that still may be true. When City won the title in 2018-2019 with 98 points, they didn’t have him for most of the season which opened the theory about him being overrated in the grand scheme of things. But this season, when Liverpool crept back into the title race in early 2022 and with City knocked out of their other 3 competitions, KDB willed them to the title in a way I haven’t seen from him in his career. With 15 goals and 8 assists in the PL this season, no performance shows his dominance more-so than his 4-goal performance against Wolves:
When he gets like this and wants to take a game over, it is a scary sight to behold for the opponents as he did to Arsenal in 2020 and I still haven’t recovered:
Just an incredible talent and if he didn’t come off injured against Madrid, I liked their chances in the Champions League final. When his team needed him most in the league this season, Salah faltered and Kevin de Bruyne didn’t.
LW: H.M. Son – It pains me to write this but when you have world-class talents like this demon, they can be the difference in how you get to where you want to be or don’t just off their talent. And it is no different with this guy. Tied for the Golden boot race with Salah this season but more importantly for his team, was a thorn in my side as I watched him and Harry Kane carry Spurs to the final Champions League Spot as I watched Arteta’s shiny hair just walk up and down the pitch as Arsenal choked it away. He scores with his right foot, left foot and does it all with a damn smile which makes me hate him even more cause he just laughs at my pain. 23 goals and 9 assists in the league this season is outstanding when you think about the football style that Conte plays let alone that he also had Nuno as his manager for the first half of the season. The sooner he gets out of my life, the better.
RW: Mo Salah – When it comes down to it, he is probably the main reason why his team did not capture a Premier League title but you can argue that they wouldn’t be in that position if it wasn’t for his stellar first half of the season. You could argue his first half of the season rivaled and was on track to match what he did in his first Liverpool season where he bagged 32 goals and 13 assists. This season, he more than carried his weight with a 23/13 G/A and tied HM Son for Golden Boot honors but just leaves a bad taste in my mouth with how he finished the season. You could make the argument after 2022 AFCON Final, that carried Mané’s 2022 campaign and Salah was not able to recover. All that being said, still a no-doubter on the TOTY for this season.
CF: Sadio Mané – The most controversial decision for me in this XI with not a real convincing out and out striker to include. Harry Kane is a decent shout, Cristiano had himself a solid year given the circumstances. I thought about pushing Bernardo Silva to the LW position and pushing H.M Son into the middle. But at the end of the day, I went with Sadio Mané who actually ended up playing centrally towards the end of the season when Luis Diaz took up the LW position for Liverpool.
Just an inexplicable footballer at times where I watch him and just marvel at the things he does and how he just bounces himself off defenders and never seems to lose the ball. He has definitely lost a step from his Golden Boot year a few seasons back but the cream always rises to the top and this guy is no exception. Just always finds himself running behind defenders for easy finishes.
Honorable Mentions: Aaron Ramsdale, Reece James, Antonio Rüdiger, Aymeric Laporte Andy Robertson, James Ward Prowse, Conor Gallagher, Bernardo Silva Cristiano Ronaldo, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane
Featured Image credits: BuildLineup
Video credits: NBC, Football Major, Neymartive Studio
Image credits: Getty, IMAGO