Chelsea and Tottenham dominate PFA Premier League Team of the Year

Chelsea and Tottenham dominate PFA Premier League Team of the Year

Chelsea and Tottenham lead the way in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year with four players each.

After stunning seasons Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante and winger Eden Hazard, both nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, are included along with defensive duo Gary Cahill and David Luiz.

Spurs, who currently trail leaders Chelsea by four points in the title race, are represented by midfielder Dele Alli and striker Harry Kane, as well as full-backs Danny Rose and Kyle Walker.

While Kane and Lukaku are also on the shortlist for player of the year, the other two nominees, Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal, miss out.

Ibrahimovic has scored 17 goals in his first Premier League season at a time when his critics expected him to struggle to adapt to English football, almost single-handedly leading United’s bid for Champions League football, but even that has not been enough to dislodge the duo of Kane and Lukaku.

There are also no Manchester City players in the XI.

Manchester United’s David De Gea gets the nod in goal, while Merseyside duo Sadio Mane, of Liverpool, and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, the division’s top scorer with 24 goals, complete the line-up.

Five players – De Gea, Rose, Alli, Kante and Kane – retain their places from last year’s team.

Tottenham have the best defence in the league and have been rewarded with spots in the team for both of their England international full-backs, but Belgian central-defender Toby Alderweireld may feel unlucky to be left out in favour of the Chelsea duo.

The leaders, though, do boast the divisions third-best backline, which has been significantly helped by Antonio Conte’s switch to a back three following a humbling loss to Arsenal. As well as David Luiz and Cahill, Spaniard Cesar Azpilicueta is the other member of the trio.

It is a third straight appearance for De Gea in goal, with Spurs stopper Hugo Lloris perhaps unlucky not to claim a place, while Kane has also completed his personal hat-trick.

The team has been announced ahead of Sunday night’s awards ceremony in London, where the player and young player of the season will be revealed.

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