Five players who may have made the Premier League's season-ending shortlist
It's time to honor the players who have excelled in the Premier League over the previous nine months as the season's conclusion is ready to hit us in the face.
It may come as no surprise that Manchester City and Arsenal have several players nominated for the Premier League's official end-of-season awards given that they have been the division's two greatest teams by a wide margin.
But there's no doubting that the Norwegian and all the other nominees had tremendous seasons.
But were there any athletes who were arguably more deserving due to their specific efforts in 2022–2023 who were overlooked? Actually, it's tough to respond to that, but the 90th minute has produced five guys who are undoubtedly a bit angry to have been overlooked.
Guimaraes, Bruno
Tyneside has been transformed by Bruno Guimaraes / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Newcastle UnitedPlayer of the Season is a possible nominee for an award.
Barring a completely disastrous season finale, Newcastle's outstanding season is likely to secure their return to the Champions League after a 20-year absence. A large portion of the credit must go to manager Eddie Howe, players Kieran Trippier and Alexander Isak, as well as midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
The Magpies were aware that they had acquired a fantastic player during the January 2022 transfer window, and this season has seen Howe bring out all of Bruno's strengths. The Brazilian has been flawless in the center of the field, improving everyone's performance while setting the pace by calmly stroking the ball about.
In the current statistic-driven world we live in, Bruno's consistency and ability to dominate games has been vital for Newcastle and, honestly, is unquantifiable.
Saliba, William
This season, William Saliba made such a difference for Arsenal / Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Because a top-four finish if Mikel Arteta got them going was all that was anticipated of Arsenal prior to the season, their Premier League title campaign can only be appreciated.
Arsenal now appears to be in second place to Manchester City in the fight for the ultimate prize, almost 15 points ahead of where they'd need to be to qualify for the Champions League, but things could have been quite different had William Saliba kept healthy.
Instead, during Arsenal's Europa League match against Sporting CP, the Frenchman suffered a back injury and hasn't been seen since.
Despite the continued excellence of Saka, Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli, the Gunners have managed just 15 points out of a potential 27 points and have won just four of nine games while his absence. This run has cost them dearly and has shown how crucial Saliba was to the team.
Muslim Salah
Perhaps Mohamed Salah deserves more. Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
Manchester UnitedPlayer of the Season is a possible nominee for an award.
Liverpool has consistently performed well below their best, even by their own extremely high expectations.
Mohamed Salah hasn't been at his best, even by his own extremely high standards.
Place that aside, though, and consider the data. Due to a strong recent run of play, Liverpool might yet force their way into the Champions League for the upcoming season. Most of their problems can be attributed to injuries and an incredibly poor midfield.
The only consistency for Liverpool has been Salah, who has contributed 29 goals (19 goals and ten assists), second only to Erling Haaland.
Donald Rice
A paragon of consistency is Declan Rice, according to Marc Atkins/Getty Images.
A cursory peek at the Premier League standings reveals that West Ham's situation isn't very favorable, so is it really a surprise that Declan Rice isn't considered for the Young Player of the Season award?
No, not really. Awards are often given to teams that are performing very well, with the exception of Scott Parker, the 2011 FWA Footballer of the Year for a team that was relegated (West Ham).
However, you could make a strong case for Rice being nominated on your own. Although West Ham has dropped 19 games, the 24-year-old has been superb all season and would not have the interest of Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool if he hadn't.
He has thrown in a lot of 9/10 performances when it really mattered. He has made the third-most throws into the final third of the field (54) and the most interceptions this season (62).
Manchester City's unsung hero is Rodri Rodri, according to Catherine Ivill/Getty Images.
Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, and even John Stones have taken center stage as Manchester City has advanced toward a third straight Premier League championship.
One of City's true unsung heroes, though, has been quietly keeping things moving forward for the better part of four seasons as the team's more flamboyant players sit at the base of the midfield.
That is not to suggest Rodri lacks talent in the final third; he has sometimes scored a goal of note. However, Rodri's skill set is best suited to maintaining total City dominance, which the Spaniard achieves with ease and comfort.
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