The PFA’s Premier League Team of the Year or rather the line-up of Manchester City has officially been announced. Out of the eleven players awarded, five of them are from Manchester City. This includes forward Sergio Aguero, midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, and defenders Nicolas Otamendi and Kyle Walker. This news comes after City was named champions of the Premier League. Led by head coach Pep Guardiola, the team has accumulated some incredible stats this season. They set a new record by winning 18 games in a row, scored in every match but one, and broke yet another record by winning the most away games in the league with a total of 11.
As far as individual records go, midfielder Raheem Sterling obtained the league’s quickest season goal in January against Waterford in only 38 seconds, and Sergio Aguero broke the club’s scoring record with 199 goals.
A combination of strong coaching, highly-skilled players, and a confident attitude is responsible for the team’s success. Even after getting knocked out of the Champions League by Liverpool, the team along with Guardiola remained positive and instead of wallowing in their loss, looked towards the future. Guardiola has a philosophy of “positional play” in which no more than two players are allowed in a vertical space, and no more than three in a horizontal area. This forces the players to be better aware of their placement on the field. As a result, more players are available to receive the ball, and more open space is created. Also, Guardiola had reduced the overall age of the team to build a highly energetic and spirited squad.
Manchester City isn’t the only team that’s well-represented in the Premier League Team of the Year. Tottenham has defender Jan Vertonghen, midfielder Christian Eriksen and striker Harry Kane. After excellent seasons, especially for Harry Kane who scored 26 goals, these three players more than deserved their place on the team. Goalkeeper David de Gea made it as did Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso. Striker Mohamed Salah of Liverpool earned his spot on the team after procuring an outstanding 30 goals this season.
This is just another stat for City to add to their already long list. They have five more games left in the league, and if they win at least three more, the club will go on to break Chelsea’s previous record of scoring 30 goals in one season.