Messi, Salah, Kane, Ronaldo & Oblak finish atop Fantasy Player rankings

The 2020/21 season finished with some familiar names on top of the Fantasy Player rankings with Lionel Messi in first place followed by Liverpool & Egypt star Mohamed Salah while Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jan Oblak rounded up the first five spots.

Messi: Barcelona superstar Messi does not need an introduction. Despite Barca not winning the league again (2020/21 to Atletico Madrid and that’s after giving way in the title race during the 2019/20 season to bitter rivals Real Madrid), Messi still managed to score 30 league goals and provide 9 assists in 33 matches as well as 2 additional league appearances as a substitute. Barca & Messi did lift the Copa del Rey.

Salah: Liverpool’s Salah had a very good 2020/21 season with 22 goals and 5 assists in the Premier League, however, his club did not have a good campaign so he perhaps did not receive the praise some of his performances deserved. Liverpool did end up making the Champions League so maybe next season will be a fresh & better one for Salah and his teammates. He ended up with 122 Fantasy Football Points helped by the fact his position (as not a striker) earned him extra points from clean sheets…

Kane: Harry had perhaps his best season overall despite a disappointing campaign by Tottenham. Kane ended up with a remarkable tally of 14 assists in the Premier League- the most not just in England’s PL but also ahead of anyone from the Spanish & Italian leagues. Kane also ended up with 23 league goals to finish with 119 Fantasy Football Points- just two behind Salah. As a strike, Kane did not earn any points for clean sheets. As a great consolation, Kane finished top Fantasy Football Player in our sister site’s rankings: https://fantasy-premier.com/statistics/players

Ronaldo: The Portuguese superstar finished the 2020/21 season with 29 goals and 3 assists (started in 31 Serie A matches and had another 2 appearances as a substitute). If we count only the English, Italian and Spanish leagues then only Messi scored more goals! The two seem to be in competition even when not in the same league. CR7 and Messi were also drawn in the same group in the Champions League. Neither superstar won the league title, but, like Messi, Ronaldo also won the domestic cup helping Juventus lift the Coppa Italia. CR7 finished with 117 EFL Fantasy Points. Ronaldo finished in 2nd place in www.fantasyseriea.com player rankings. Visit the best Fantasy Serie A game & check the Player stats here https://fantasyseriea.com/statistics/players

Oblak: Finally the only non-attacking player to finish in the top 5 was Atletico Madrid’s goalkeeper Oblak. He was a key player in the club’s successful season which ended up with winning the Spanish La Liga. Oblak kept an impressive tally of 18 clean sheets and only conceded 25 goals in the Spanish League. Without Oblak, it could be said that Atletico would have failed to win the all-important La Liga title ahead of giants Real Madrid (Barcelona finished in 3rd place).

Tottenham legend Harry Kane wants to leave the club- could the player that has propelled them now destroy them?

On reflection we all saw it coming, that Tottenham’s best player in a decade, Harry Kane, was going to announce that he wanted to leave the club.

There were hints of it last season, just faint rumours but perhaps having Jose Mourinho as manager and a decorated one at that convinced Kane to concentrate on his football. A month ago Mourinho was sacked by Daniel Levy and a month on Levy has learned that his absolute star player Kane wants out. How quick everything changes in football.

This season has had some bright moments for the club but let’s be honest it isn’t a season that will be talked about for too long when everything wraps up on May 23rd. But Tottenham have a chance to qualify for the Europa League and they reached this season’s latter stages of the competition, they also reached the Carabao Cup final. All of this would have been impossible without Kane. Just to show what type of impact the striker has made this season he has scored 22 goals so far in the league and assisted in a further 13. He has been involved in a staggering 55% of the club league goals alone. Take Kane out of the equation and Tottenham absolutely would be in the bottom half of the Premier League.

In the last four years Tottenham could well argue that they have stepped outside of the shadow of their more successful neighbours Arsenal. Finishing higher than them in the league and even reaching the Champions League final in 2019. And yet of course it is Arsenal who have picked up 2 FA Cup’s in that same time period. Tottenham have no trophies for 13 years now despite playing some of the best football in England. That of course was spearheaded by Kane and the worry is if he leaves, which certainly looks like when he leaves, how will Tottenham recover?

In these pandemic times it is unclear if Tottenham will get the £200m plus transfer fee they so desire and the figure may be close to £120m plus a few free transfers. But what deal will Tottenham get? It is very public that the club did not spend the £100m they received from the sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid wisely. Tottenham aren’t the only victims of not knowing how to spend their money. The same has quite publicly happened to the likes of Everton and Barcelona recently. Buying a quality player doesn’t mean they will perform as you expect them too anymore.

What would appease the fans when Kane is sold? Is Neymar, Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland arriving? No they are not, and we know this because Tottenham will not be playing Champions League football next season. If any of those players were on the list the losing Kane saga may not seem as bad. But in losing Kane Tottenham won’t just be losing one player of immense quality who guarantees goals and knows the league inside out, they will be losing plenty of Premier League points too, and this could propel the club to move backwards. This would be an horrific situation for the club who have made such fantastic in roads lately and have a brand new stadium.

The next stage will be where will Kane end up. Tottenham would be foolish to sell him to an English club and at least Kane has hinted that he would be open to offers in Spain. But Barcelona and Real Madrid are in huge debt, so those moves look unlikely. Also Kane comes across like he loves English football and the Premier League and will probably not want to move from the country. In that sense and as long as he decides not to play for an English club anymore Kane could be on his way to either Manchester clubs. Surely his priority would lie with City, after all Kane is chasing trophies and time is running out.

For Manchester United they are getting better every season, but perhaps a league title is not on the cards for the club just now or in the next few years. There is also the chance to maybe play for Liverpool. Money plus a Mohamed Salah swap? You never can tell in football. These are exciting times for the neutral but for Tottenham fans there could be despair before hope.

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Premier League: Best 11 Players of Week 36

It’s been another interesting week in the Premier League which has seen the top four open up more. The race for Champions League places is getting more exciting by every passing game. Chelsea may have slipped up as they lost against Arsenal and Liverpool could well get that final place. However Leicester are not home and dry yet and everything can change.

West Ham and Tottenham have the slimmest of chances but a top four spot looks beyond them now. What was remarkable was that Alisson, Liverpool’s goalkeeper scored the winning goal at the weekend.

Because of the FA Cup final there was a slightly reduced fixture list for the Premier League this past weekend but there was still plenty of goals and points up for grabs. Let’s take a look at which players earned the most.

Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale- Sheffield United 7pts

What a game from Aaron Ramsdale as he kept a clean sheet- only his 4th of the season- as Sheffield United beat Everton 1-0. It was a great performance from the Blades keeper in a very difficult season for him and his club.

Defender: Jack Robinson- Sheffield United 6pts

Jack Robinson has missed chunks of the season with injury but he earned 6 points at the weekend as Sheffield United stunned Everton with a 1-0 win. Robinson assisted in the only goal of the game which was his first assist of the season.

Defender: Toby Alderweirald- Tottenham 5pts

Tottenham beat Wolves 2-0 and the club had to be at their best to clean up in defence. Alderweirald has 10 clean sheets now to his name and earned another 5 points putting his total at 44 points.

Defender: Eric Dier- Tottenham 5pts

Eric Dier read the game so well as Tottenham were able to keep their top four hopes alive as they beat Wolves 2-0 and the defender now has 24 points for the season.

Defender: Diego Llorente- Leeds United 5pts

Another clean sheet for Diego Llorente means he has 4 for the season as Leeds played brilliantly well to beat Burnley 4-0 and they did so away from home.

Midfielder: Jack Harrison- Leeds United 10pts

Leeds beat Burnley 4-0 and Jack Harrison assisted in the last 2 of those goals to wrap up a fantastic match for the club and much needed 3 points. With a clean sheet also Harrison walked away with an impressive 10 points. He has 68 in total now and is ranked as the best midfielder for the club.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 8pts

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool as they were able to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1. Liverpool has a real chance of finishing in the top four now. Salah has 22 goals and he is battling Harry Kane for the top goalscorer’s award this season.

Midfielder: Roberto Firmino- Liverpool 8pts

It was another great week for Roberto Firmino who is scoring goals and assisiting again and the Brazilian has been a real key figure into how Liverpool have won 3 games in a row and could qualify for next seasons Champions League on this form.

Midfielder: Pierre Hojbjerg- Tottenham 8pts

Pierre Hojbjerg scored Tottenham’s winner at the weekend as they beat Wolves 2-0. Hojbjerg also assisted for Kane’s first goal in the game and earned a huge 8 points.

Striker: Rodrigo- Leeds United 8pts

Rodrigo had a great game for Leeds United as the striker scored 2 goals in one game as Marcelo Bielsa’s side beat Burnley 4-0. Rodrigo hasn’t had a memorable season as he has only scored 6 goals but maybe he can finish in strong? He has a total of 23 points currently.

Striker: Harry Kane- Tottenham 4pts

Harry Kane scored his 22nd league goal of the season as he set up Tottenham to beat Wolves 2-0. Kane has been involved in an incredible 35 goals in the league from 63 that his club have scored, that is an incredible statistic. Kane has 113 points and his top of the Premier League fantasy standings and 3rd with all the leagues combined.

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Super League sign up now fan invasion at Old Trafford how will the FA punish Manchester United?

Sometimes clubs get into trouble and face sanctions when, in essence, it’s not even their fault. Take Manchester United whose ground was invaded by protesting fans at the weekend which led to the postponement of their game against Liverpool.

Protesting fans and in some cases barbaric which included a police officer receiving cuts to the face stormed overwhelmed security at the ground and in droves fans were on the hallowed turf inside the stadium. One could question why the club should be sanctioned by the FA, and it would be a good one. United had security in place there were simply too many fans and one thing led to another. For the FA it is an embarrassment given that the game could  not go ahead and now they will have to find a date in a very congested fixture pile up with the league set to finish in just 3 weeks time.

Claim all the innocence they want United will be charged and they will surely be encouraged to ban the fans caught on CCTV and camera by TV reporters. What should that punishment be? It could well be a ban from playing at home for a few games, there will surely be a fine of some sort but that will be loose change to United. We must remember how the Glazers have stayed defiant and despite protests have said they are going nowhere. Instead they noted that the club were worth £2 billion and they were hoping to increase the value of United during their ownership to £10 billion, it was a classic predictable response from wealthy American owners.

Some have argued that the game should be forfeited and that Liverpool should be awarded 3 points. This would seem farcical given the current situation of the clubs chasing a top four finish. How unfair would that be on Leicester, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham?

As for punishments when are Manchester United going to face one from the FA or UEFA over the Super League sign up? Is it even going to happen now. At one point UEFA said that clubs would feel the full force, the full force of what exactly? The one club that didn’t sign up to the Super League was PSG who have now been knocked out of the Champions League ensuring that the final will take place between two clubs who two weeks ago wanted nothing to do with the Champions League come next season.

The longer the FA and UEFA do not respond to what has been a chaotic and lack of due respect to football as a whole the longer they are looking like weak organisations and something certainly needs to be clarified.

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Premier League: Best 11 Players of Week 33

League leaders Manchester City had the weekend off from Premier League duties as they played in the final of the Carabao Cup which they won. So the focus was on the race for the top four.

Leicester and Chelsea emerged as the victors for this week as West Ham and Liverpool both dropped points. Leicester look like they will secure a top four spot more than most given their point advantage over Chelsea but also because they have a game in hand over their direct rivals.

One could argue that Everton remain dark horses for a top four finish, Carlo Ancelotti’s team beat Arsenal away from home for the first time since 1996 and they have a game in hand and shouldn’t be ruled out for a challenge.

Let’s take a look at the players who made the team of the week in a formation of 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: Illan Meslier- Leeds United 7pts

It’s not always been a great season for Illan Meslier because even though he has kept 10 clean sheets Leeds are very good at conceding goals that is why Meslier only has 16 points so far. He made some great saves though in denying Manchester United a win and that game ended 0-0.

Defender: Ben Chilwell- Chelsea 7pts

Ben Chilwell has been an outstanding defender this season for Chelsea and he was able to hold firm and keep a clean sheet as Chelsea beat West Ham 1-0 in an very important top four battle. Chilwell along with keeping a clean sheet also assisted for the goal his 5th this season.

Defender: Jonathan Evans- Leicester 9pts

Jonathan Evans kept a clean sheet as Leicester beat West Bromwich Albion and he also scored the Foxes 2nd goal in a fantastic game for the defender as his side won 3-0. That was Evans first goal of the season.

Defender: Ashley Westwood- Burnley 9pts

Ashley Westwood scored his 2nd goal of the season as Burnley thumped Wolves 4-0 away from home which should seal their safety this season. Westwood’s value is just 1.5m and he had a fantastic game.

Defender: Timothy Castagne- Leicester 7pts

Castagne kept his 7th clean sheet of the season as Leicester eased to an easy 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. To cap off the day Castagne also assisted for the clubs first goal.

Midfielder: Jack Harrison- Leeds United 2pts

Along with the majority of midfielders there was no real star billing for any Premier League player. But Jack Harrison did well to keep a clean sheet against Manchester United who are unbeaten away from home.

Midfielder: Youri Tielemans- Leicester 2pts

Youri Tielemans is arguably the unsung hero of Leicester and he was controlling and solid in midfield as he picked up points because the Foxes kept another clean sheet as they beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 to help their cause to qualify for next seasons Champions League.

Midfielder: Paul Pogba- Manchester United 2pts

Many midfielders picked up 2 points at the weekend but it has to be said just because Paul Pogba is not scoring goals lately or assisting as much as he would like he has really upped his game and his playing good football. Very hard to play against when he is on form, and he kept the Leeds United midfield very alert as his club drew 0-0 with them at the weekend.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 4pts

Mohamed Salah scored his 20th goal of the season for Liverpool as they drew 1-1 with Newcastle. Salah is just one goal behind Harry Kane now. Salah would have been pleased to score but wouldn’t have been pleased with the final result as Liverpool were pegged back for the second time in under a week.

Striker: Chris Wood- Burnley 16pts

Chris Wood had the weekend of his season as he earned a fantastic 16 points in one game. His side, Burnley beat Wolves away from home 4-0. Wood scored a hat-trick and then assisted for the 4th goal. He now has 10 goals so far and has 48 points in total now.

Striker: Jamie Vardy- Leicester 6pts

Jamie Vardy has been very quiet in 2021 and the Foxes striker will be hoping that his goal last week against West Bromwich Albion could kick start his season once again as Leicester try to finish in the top four. Vardy has 14 goals now.

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Should Manchester United, Liverpool and the other clubs be punished for wanting a Super League?

The Super League was laughed out of football folklore before the first chapter had commenced, almost everyone connected with football despised the idea of the new competition. One could say it wasn’t even a competition as it was closed to 99% of other teams, but now that project is in tatters surely there should be ramifications.

The six clubs in the Premier League that wanted a breakaway were Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham. It is thought that Manchester United and Liverpool spearheaded the negotiations. These clubs represent the big six in English football, though not all this season have acted in that manner.

One has to wonder now with the Super League dead in the water only 3 days after being announced when the FA are going to step in? It doesn’t matter that the clubs have pulled out, that’s just one step back to normality. How about the fact that these clubs wanted and also signed for a breakaway to happen? According to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez this was a legally binding contract. Well Perez got a taste of his own medicine as these clubs have simply walked away, just as they had walked away from UEFA a few days ago.

So what should the FA do? Fines are really no good, that won’t punish the teams enough and the ideal scenario would be a points deduction. Now if you are a fan of any of the six clubs you could be angry about this, save that anger and remember all the protests against your own club at the beginning of the week. Ultimately this is about weeding out club owners who have very little care about the fans and the history of the game.

Each team should be deducted at least 10 points and of course that should mean the 12 teams involved. This is a time when the FA and UEFA need to flex their authority, they can’t be messed around like this.

For UEFA the Champions League resumes next week and how awkward does it feel and look that 3 of the four semi-finalists opted to leave this competition all behind this past weekend? Only PSG, and much to the surprise of the football world wanted no part in the Super League. The French champions will surely be pumped up now to win the competition.

Let’s wait and see what the FA do, that’s if they do anything, but they need to do the right thing, these clubs did wrong, and they need to be punished.

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Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak: What does the Future hold for them at Liverpool?

Liverpool’s defensive issues have been well documented over the past few months. Shortly after Virgil van Dijk suffered a season-ending injury against Everton in October 2020, Jurgen Klopp also lost Joe Gomez and Joel Matip for the rest of the 2020-21 campaign. The German manager experimented with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson at the back, before the latter tore his groin.

With a lack of options, the Reds sealed a loan-to-buy deal for Ozan Kabak in January. His recent partnership with Nat Phillips has given Liverpool supporters optimism for the business end of the season. Few can argue that the pair aren’t doing a respectable job in the short term, but their long-term futures are up in the air. So, what will Klopp do with Phillips and Kabak?

The Most Unlikeliest of Partnerships

At the start of the campaign, Liverpool supporters would never have believed that a fringe squad player and a loan purchase from bottom-of-the-league Schalke would be keeping their season on track. Although the Reds have fallen well short in defending their title, a top-four finish isn’t out of the question. As of April 6th, Liverpool are 10/11 in football betting to finish in the top four this season. If the Reds hope to qualify for the 2021-22 Champions League through the Premier League, Kabak and Phillips may hold the key.

Prior to Kabak’s substitution against Arsenal in the Reds’ three-goal victory at the Emirates, he and Phillips had played together for 263 minutes. As a result, this made them the club’s longest-serving partnership this season. Liverpool’s unexpected central defensive pairing kept clean sheets in their first four games together against Sheffield United, RasenBallsport Leipzig, Wolves, and Arsenal.

The Reds Have Decisions to Make

There can be no doubts that Kabak and Phillips have brought some much-needed solidity to Liverpool’s season. However, things could have been very different for the Bolton-born defender. In the 2020 summer window, the Reds allowed Phillips to talk to Swansea ahead of a loan move, but the Swans instead opted to pursue other targets. The 24-year-old’s contract at Anfield doesn’t expire in 2021, and with Gomez, Matip, and Van Dijk set to return next season, Phillips may once again find his opportunities limited.

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Kabak, on the other hand, is playing for his Liverpool career. The Reds aren’t obliged to pay the £18 million fee to make the Turkish international’s loan move permanent. Despite impressing after quickly adapting to a new club, country, and league, Klopp’s team are in talks to sign Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig. Although the deal isn’t near completion, it raises question marks over Kabak’s future. Along with Gomez, Matip, and Van Dijk, do the Reds need both Kabak and Konate? That said, one thing is for sure; if the six-time Champions of Europe go for both, a repeat of this season’s crisis is avoidable.

Football is a Game of Opportunities

Few would have expected Liverpool to end the 2020-21 season with Kabak and Phillips in defence. While that’s not a reflection of their talents, it instead speaks volumes of the standards that supporters expect at Anfield. As a partnership, they may not take Liverpool to the title or a seventh Champions League triumph, but they have given hope to the Anfield faithful.

 

Premier League: Best 11 Players of Week 30

Chelsea losing 5-2 at home to West Bromwich Albion, let that sink in because it may have to do over the course of several weeks. This season in the Premier League has thrown out some very surprising results, and it is as if the league was giving a welcomed if not delayed response to the arrival Thomas Tuchel. The defeat was Tuchel’s first in charge of the Blues and it has come at a dreadful time for them.

Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-0 and perhaps Jurgen Klopp’s side are over their dismal form and they are just 2 points from the top 4 now. Both Manchester teams won with Manchester City beating Leicester and they are 14 points clear. Manchester United consolidated 2nd place and they will surely finish in the top 4 now and are 11 points clear of 5th.

Let’s look at the players who made a difference over this past weekend.

Goalkeeper: Alisson- Liverpool 7pts

Alisson will have been very happy to keep a clean sheet away to a quality side like Arsenal as Liverpool looked solid again to win the match 3-0. That was Alisson’s 7th clean sheet of the season so far and he had to make a few good saves early on as well and stayed very focused throughout the game.

Defender: Benjamin Mendy- Manchester City 9pts

It was the perfect weekend for Benjamin Mendy who kept a clean sheet as league leaders Manchester City impressively beat Leicester 2-0 away from home. The icing on the cake was that Mendy scored a goal- the opening goal just before the hour mark which set up the eventual win. That was Mendy’s 2nd goal of the season and his value is worth 6.5m.

Defender: Trent Alexander- Arnold- Liverpool 7pts

Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates for a fantastic win for the champions. Alexander-Arnold now has 8 clean sheets to his name for this season he also assisted in the clubs first goal of the game bringing his total to 36 points.

Defender: Ruben Dias- Manchester City 5pts

Another solid performance from one of the most impressive defenders in the Premier League this season. Dias was commanding and very confident on the ball even away to Leicester who are in 3rd place in the league. Dias now has 78 points so far and his value is 7.5m.

Defender: Andrew Robertson- Liverpool 5pts

Andrew Robertson looked back to his self assured best holding the back line particularly well and frustrating Arsenal as Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners. Robertson earned 5 points in the process for his clean sheet and now has a total of 43 points.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 6pts

Salah looked back and sharp especially in the 2nd half of the Arsenal goal and the player scored his 18th goal of the season as he put the Gunners to the sword. He looks set to finish the season strongly.

Midfielder: Diogo Jota- Liverpool 9pts

An absolutely brilliant weekend for Diogo Jota saw the Liverpool player come back from an injury lay off to start scoring the goals again and he scored 2 for Liverpool as they beat rivals Arsenal 3-0. Jota now has 8 goals for the Reds and considering his injuries this season he has had a very good campaign in his debut season for the Reds.

Midfielder: Nathan Redmond- Southampton 6pts

Nathan Redmond was involved in one of the best games of the weekend as Southampton came back against Burnley from two goals down to beat them 3-2. Redmond assisted in Danny Ings 2nd goal for the Saints and then grabbed the winner.

Midfielder: Jack Harrison- Leeds United 4pts

Jack Harrison scored a good goal to open the scoring for Leeds as they beat Sheffield United 2-1 at the weekend. That was Harrison’s seventh goal of the season and he now has 54 points.

Striker: Harry Kane- Tottenham 8pts

Harry Kane has had a fantastic season and the Tottenham striker was on hand to score 2 goals as they drew 2-2 with Newcastle at the weekend. Ultimately it was a disappointing result for Tottenham given that they were leading 2-1 but personally for Kane those 2 goals means he has 19 goals. Kane is the top scorer now in the Premier League.

Striker: Callum Robertson- West Bromwich Albion 8pts

In an incredible game not just for Callum Robertson but for 19th placed West Bromwich Albion who beat Chelsea- unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel 5-2 at Stamford Bridge. Robertson scored 2 goals and now has 4 goals for the season. His value is 5m.

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The Best 5 Premier League players so far in 2020/21

Domestic football is on a break until the beginning of April, so there are no Premier League team of the week.

This is a chance then to see which Premier League players have been performing the best this season based on their fantasy points and gives you the chance to see if you have any players.

Together with picking out the top 5 we will also have honourable mentions of other players who have performed well this season and could well make their way into the top 5 by the end of the season.

The top 5 best Premier League players so far this season:

1. Bruno Fernandes- Manchester United 101 pts

If you had Bruno Fernandes in your team at the beginning of the season what a pick that would have been given that the midfielder costs just 8.5m. He has been such an important player for Manchester United that we can say that the club would not be 2nd without his input. And let’s talk about his contribution so far the Portuguese star has scored 16 goals and assisted in another 10 goals. If you want to know why United are doing well in the Premier League this season, look no further.

2. Ederson Moraes- Manchester City 98pts

When Manchester City win the league this season people will talk about how well Ilkay Gundogan has performed alongside Phil Foden. But the key to City’s title will be in their defence and Ederson in goal has had a terrific season. So far he has helped to keep 16 clean sheets, which is a fantastic record. On top of that Ederson has even assisted in a goal, which is a remarkable fact. He continues to get better by each season.

3. Harry Kane- Tottenham 93pts

By far England’s best striker Harry Kane may not win any trophies this season (the Carabao Cup withstanding) but even if he doesn’t what a personal season it has been again for Kane. Kane’s record for Tottenham in the league is nothing short of mind blowing and he has been involved in 30 of the clubs league goals. Tottenham have scored 49 goals, just let that sink in. Tottenham will be doing everything in their power to keep their star forward this summer as he will surely be in demand.

4. Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 90pts

It almost feels like this has been a quiet season for Salah given his presence over the Premier League in the last 2 seasons. But actually Salah has been as busy as ever, it’s just that Liverpool as a team faced such an implosion that nobody could have seen it. Still for Salah he has scored 17 times and assisted in 3 goals, that is hardly a poor season and the Egyptian international himself is actually having another solid and brilliant campaign.

5. Edouard Mendy- Chelsea 86pts

In truth Edouard Mendy was scripted to be the 2nd goal keeper at Chelsea, but once given his chance he has impressed enough to become the clubs number 1 shot stopper. It’s encouraging for him that new manager Thomas Tuchel has kept him on and can also, like former manager Frank Lampard, see his immense qualities. Mendy has kept 14 clean sheets so far and is turning out to be a real star with the Blues.

Honourable mentions:

John Stones is having his best season as a professional player and is such an important part of the set up at Manchester City. Before this season his place was genuinely under threat but he has stepped up to the mantle and is not just defending well but is good to score goals too- he currently has 4 so far.

Ilkay Gundogan another Manchester City player, like Stones is having his best season. Gundogan can be provider but he has also scored some very important goals this season and has 12 so far. Ruben Dias is yet another City player in defence which has held everything together and looks like the perfect replacement for club legend Vincent Kompany. Dias has 73 pts so far.

Let’s not forget about Harry Kane’s strike partner, Heung-Min Son who has been unfortunate lately having his injury and missing some key games. But Son has had brilliant spells this season and has scored 13 goals and assisted in another 9. Indeed Kane and Son are arguably the best striker partnership in Europe when they are firing on all cylinders.

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Liverpool were great champions but they need to stop making excuses for this season

Last season was so phenomenally brilliant for Liverpool that it will be etched into the memory banks for some time to come. But this season has seen the champions fall from grace in quick time. It can happen, we have seen it with Chelsea only a few seasons ago. But Liverpool have to stop with the excuses which are doing nothing but cheapen the club.

Liverpool have been the kings of Europe so to speak for the past 18 months, winning the league title and reaching 2 Champions League finals and winning one of those. A 60 odd unbeaten run at home followed. The incredible talents of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino up front were simply devastating, even scary. Their goals reigned supreme, here was a team who were built more like a machine- and then 2021 happened.

This has been the year to end Liverpool’s cycle, what a cycle it was, but it was short lived, of course at one point Liverpool will come back and will be a threat once more, but the fall off has been huge.

The club lost six games in a row at home, that is something that has actually never happened in the clubs 139 year history. A few of these defeats have been against teams you would have expected the club to beat in the likes of Brighton and Fulham. Liverpool even lost against derby rivals Everton at Anfield something that had not occurred since 1999.

Hopes of winning back to back titles were dashed within a month and suddenly Jurgen Klopp was wondering if his team were even going to finish in the top 4? Currently it’s possible that the Reds will not achieve that status and they could be playing in the Europa League next season as clubs such as Manchester United, Leicester and Chelsea have moved on. Liverpool also face stiff competition for places against Tottenham, West Ham and Everton.

The drop off has been huge and then the questions are inevitably asked as to why Liverpool have fallen out of form. Of course one could point to Virgil van Dijk’s injury earlier in the season, which has ruled him out of the majority of the season. But let’s not forget that van Dijk was part of the Liverpool team that lost 7-2 at Aston Villa, the signs were already there that Liverpool were going to struggle this season.

Mental fatigue has been thrown about and it has been accepted by many as a fine excuse. Yes Liverpool have been relentless in their pursuit of trophies and you can’t always win games. But the champions losing six in a row at home and probably finishing with 35 points less compared to the season before is just unthinkable.

The term mental fatigue is easy to throw around. But one has to look at other champions from the past to see what is happening in the present. Did Manchester United in their 20 years of dominance ever complain of mental fatigue? Sure United didn’t win the league every time in those 20 years and with 13 titles that was still an incredible achievement. But even when United failed to win the league, they remained a threat and they consistently qualified for the Champions League. There was no significant drop off not even in the mid 2000s when hundreds of millions was injected into Chelsea to make the Blues competitive. Soon after United won 3 league titles in a row and then beat Chelsea in the Champions League final in 2008.

Even Arsenal who remained in United’s shadow but still were a fantastic team did not drop off in their prime. If they were losing the title to United then they were finishing in 2nd place. One can look at Chelsea’s drop off in 2016 after winning the title in 2015 but that was more to do with manager Jose Mourinho losing the dressing room and the players going directionless as a result. Klopp has not lost any dressing room, so we can’t blame the manager and we shouldn’t be using mental fatigue as an excuse.

Perhaps quite simply the truth is that the players are not performing to their best. Maybe they are simply missing the famous stadium being filled up to the brim with fans and hearing the passionate Kop fans screaming their names and singing ‘you’ll never walk alone’. Then again how does that account for the fact that Liverpool have reached the quarter finals of the Champions League?

Surely if one is mentally fatigued then one is not even going to get out of their group stage? That isn’t the case and for whatever reason Liverpool have found a nice distraction from domestic football. Indeed if Liverpool were to reach the final that would be their 3rd in just four years, win it and much of this season could be glossed over.

As it stands excuses need to stop. Liverpool are where they are in the league because the players we expect to perform are having average to poor seasons and there is nothing wrong with admitting that. Liverpool could still finish 4th or win this seasons Champions League and have the last laugh, but the excuses need to stop.

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