kayode OGUNDARE
@kaybaba99
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho drew first blood last week when he said, almost with definite authority, that the race for the EPL’s Player of the Year award is as good as settled because nobody comes close to what his player, Eden Hazard has achieved this season.
Hear him: “I think what he’s doing, speaking in a very honest way, it shouldn’t even be a debate. If somebody throws other names on the table, it’s because he wants to sell papers, wants to throw some sand into people’s eyes, because this player (Hazard) is by far the best player in the Premier League all season.”
So, in the opinion of Mr Mourinho, by bringing this topic up here for discussion I’m trying to sell my paper. My response? What’s wrong if I do?
I agree Hazard has been in flaming form for Chelsea this season but long time readers of this column will readily attest that I’ve been a long-time admirer of the Belgian even before he came to England.
I recall in 2012, in two separate articles, that I eulogized him and predicted that, with the talent he was showing then at Lille, he will grow into one of the world’s best players in the very near future.
If you believe John Terry, that future I predicted is already here because the Englishman is already placing Hazard in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Back to the business of the day, I still think it will be fair to give as many players as possible a fighting chance at winning the award before rushing to crown Hazard with English football’s most prestigious professional players’ award.
I have drawn up a shortlist of five players which I’m sure will not be radically different from yours. My criteria for each of this five are as follows: team standing, direct personal contribution and, of course, those little stats by which a player’s performance is measured.
Eden Hazard – Chelsea
On Sunday at Loftus Road, Eden Hazard showed once again why he should be the obvious choice for Player of the Year when his little piece of magic conjured a last-minute lay-off for Cesc Fabregas to kill QPR’s resistance and escape with all three points as Chelsea match resolutely to the league title.
This is Eden Hazard’s third season in the Premier League and he was included in the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year in his first two seasons but came up short. Maybe third time’s a charm.
Having come short in the past two seasons (he lost out to Gareth Bale for both the Player of the Year award as well as the Young player of the year award in the 2012/13 season, but he was included in the Team of the year and last season he lost out to Luis Suarez who took home the Player of the Season award, but he won the young player of the year award), Hazard has proven that he’s ripe for the main gong and his performance, coupled with the fact that he looks destined to win the title, makes him bookmakers’ favourite to cart home the award.
He has scored 12 goals and provided 8 assists this season and his WhoScored rating of 8.02 is higher than any of his previous seasons. He averages 4.7 dribbles per match and his passing success ratio is an impressive 87.3%.
Alexis Sanchez – Arsenal
Sanchez started the season like a house on fire and silenced those who doubted the necessity of signing the player as the Gunners already had other players who could play in his position. He allowed his performances to do the talking for him and before long, he had the Arsenal faithful eating out of his palm with talking of a league title surfacing on the back of his impressive showings.
However, in recent times and especially since the turn of the year, the Chilean has slowed down considerably even though Arsenal’s good run of form has papered over his own indifferent form.
The 26-year-old’s blistering pace, work rate, dribbling and deadly finishing are the traits that have made him an early success in England and his 14 league goals and 8 assists mean he’s one to fear in the years to come.
Will that however be enough to win him the POTY this season?
David De Gea – Manchester United
If this were to be an award exclusively for goalkeepers, surely David De Gea would have few rivals for the coveted title but, as it were, his performance all through the season will speak for him when the total votes are counted even if he has history against him.
Only two goalkeepers have had the honour of winning the award before (Pat Jennings 1976 and Peter Shilton 1978) so, depending on who you ask, the Spaniard has a chance of rewriting history or having history count against him. Will he become the first goalkeeper to win the award in 37 years, and the first in Premier League era?
In a television programme some weeks back, in response to a question put to me by the anchor, I suggested that without De Gea’s saving grace this season, United would probably be languishing in bottom-table obscurity rather than be in a comfortable automatic Champions League spot with six games to go.
The 24-year-old averages 2.16 saves per game which is more than the likes of other top keepers like Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer and this highlights the work De Gea has to put in every game and, in addition to this, his saves per goal is also more than Courtois, despite the Chelsea man having a far more superior defence in front of him.
In the early part of the season, United got off to a difficult start and were struggling to find their rhythm, but De Gea’s top class performances often gave them marginal wins or helped his side salvage a draw when the team’s performance warranted a defeat.
Against Man City on Sunday when he saved off Jesus Navas in the early minutes and the famous performance against Everton are just two instances of why some pundits think De Gea is a strong candidate for the award.
However, the fact that United will finish the season empty-handed will count against him but. Hey, we have seen winners emerge from non-title winning sides before. It still could happen for him, no?
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur
Without a doubt, Harry Kane is the revelation of the season with the youngster enjoying an amazing first season in the top-flight. Currently the top English scorer in the Premier League with 19 goals to his name, he’s a sure bet for the PFA Young Player of the Year award but he would want to join the select few who have won both awards in the same year.
The last Englishman to win the award was Wayne Rooney in 2010 and only three players have won both the PFA Player of the Year award and the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the same year – Andy Gray, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Kane can go ahead to join this select few.
Harry Kane’s goals have contributed to 22 points for Tottenham this season which is the highest in the league and he is far ahead of his teammate Christian Eriksen, who is in second place with 13 points coming from the Dane’s goals. He has a strike rate of a goal every 98 minutes and averages more shots (3.2) than any other Tottenham player. He also has more assists than Christian Eriksen.
Diego Costa – Chelsea
Diego Costa’s coming was the final masterstroke in the Chelsea puzzle and an answer to all the questions asked of Jose Mourinho’s team last season when a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal did him in. With the arrival of the Spaniard, this was put aright from the word go.
Costa’s career got off to a blistering start when he scored seven goals in his first 4 games for the Blues and his tenacity, work rate and aggression makes him a perfect striker for a manager of Mourinho’s temperament.
Even with his injury worries, Costa scored 19 times this season even though he went through a lean patch in the latter half of the season and has also provided 3 assists. He scored against tough opposition like Liverpool, Arsenal, Southampton and Everton as well as against the basement teams thereby making his goals all the more valuable.
Costa’s goalscoring statistics have come despite the fact that he has missed several matches through injuries and suspension.
Costa showed his real potential during the first half of the season but he is still finding the net since the turn of the year. However, his aggressive style of play may hinder his chances of claiming the award but without him and his goals, Chelsea may not be as comfortable at the top of the league as they are in the home stretch.
So, folks, these are my five nominees for the award, in no particular order. Who do you think has deserved it most among them or do you have someone else in mind? Let me hear your thoughts on this.
APRIL 14, 2015
COMMENTS