Kane in, Ronaldo misses out: Premier League Team of the Season

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 23 May 2022 15:56 BST
• 7 min read

Another Premier League season came to an end this weekend, with Manchester City securing the title in dramatic fashion following their 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa.

It was the fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola’s men, and a further indication of the Cityzens dominance over the Premier League.

Still, there were several impressive performers over the course of the season: West Ham qualified for Europe again, Brighton secured a top-half finish and Newcastle had a resurgence over the second half of the campaign.

So, who makes it into the Team of the Season after another fine campaign in England?

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Alisson

The most consistent goalkeeper in England across all aspects: from shot-stopping to distribution to form and beyond – Alisson had another brilliant campaign in net for Liverpool.

He ended the campaign with the most clean sheets in the league – 20 – winning the Golden Glove award for the second time in his career.

And after two trophies already secured this season where he’s had a big part to play, he wants his Liverpool side to keep that going against Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

The quality of right-backs in the Premier League has significantly improved over the last five years, but Alexander-Arnold is still the best of the bunch.

The England international has contributed to 14 goals this season – 12 assists and two goals – and was an immovable piece in the Liverpool team yet again.

Such has been his quality that even Cafu has been full of praise: “I have been following Alexander-Arnold and the campaign he has had at Liverpool. His progress over the last few years has been amazing and for sure is one of the best right-backs in the world.”

Virgil van Dijk

After missing most of last season due to injury, Van Dijk returned this campaign and it was business as usual for the Dutchman at the back.

It’s unsurprising that as soon as he returned, Liverpool suddenly became better – he’s a leader at the back, and his quality is proven when he’s not around.

He also still maintains his record of not losing a home game at Liverpool since he joined, an impressive feat for an excellent centre-half.

Antonio Rudiger

Rudiger has been excellent for Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel took over in January 2021, as he proved in their successful Champions League campaign last year.

That carried on into this year, and he was a mainstay at the back, proving his class in Tuchel’s team and providing security at the back.

It’s a huge problem for Chelsea that he’s going to be off on a free transfer, but his contributions over the last two years have been immense.

Joao Cancelo

It says plenty about Cancelo’s quality that he’s able to produce so much despite not playing in his natural position and that is what he’s done this campaign.

The Portuguese played down the left side for most of the season and excelled, providing on both halves of the pitch and being one of Manchester City’s most important players.

Cancelo recorded seven assists for the campaign, but was more willing to beat players while having the ball, completing 53 take-ons over the course of the season.

Rodri

A title-winning team needs a composed player holding the fort in midfield and Rodri was that person for Manchester City.

The Spaniard provided calm throughout the season, and even stepped up in big moments such as games against Liverpool and the title-decided against Aston Villa, when he scored.

There were many claims for him to be named as the Player of the Season, and it’s a fair shout considering his importance to the team.

Declan Rice

There’s a lot of talk surrounding Declan Rice and a potential transfer this summer, and it’s easy to see why he’s valued so highly by West Ham.

The midfielder was an undroppable figure for the team both domestically and in Europe, where West Ham reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.

Over the course of the season, his statistics backed up his form: 70 tackles made, 58 interceptions, 49 take-ons completed and 42 clearances.

Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne was named the Premier League’s Player of the Season and there’s enough to back it up: a big-game player, a consistent force and one of the league’s all-time greats.

The midfielder was struggling with injury issues at the start of the campaign but returned at his best form, and put in performances that carried City to the championship.

His form in the run-in was superb too: a total of eight goals and six assists in the final 10 league games of the season to seal the title.

Mohamed Salah

A lot of Salah’s early season form is forgotten due to a more difficult second half of the campaign, but his importance in this Liverpool team is still huge.

The Egyptian scored 23 goals over the course of the season and also provided the most assists with 13, winning his third Golden Boot in five years.

Only Thierry Henry has more Premier League Golden Boots, and there is a huge possibility he matches that record next season.

Harry Kane

Kane had a tough start to the campaign, but since the arrival of Antonio Conte, the Englishman has been back to his best form.

The forward ended up with 17 goals across the season, and played a huge role in Tottenham securing fourth place and returning to the Champions League.

When Conte joined, Kane had just one goal and one assist in the league; since then, he’s amassed 16 goals and eight assists, proving his quality yet again.

Son Heung-min

A player with a strong shout of being named the league’s best this season, Son had the campaign of his career, being the league’s joint top-scorer.

The South Korean scored 23 times, like Salah, but more impressively, none of them were from the penalty spot, as he helped Spurs secure Champions League football for next season.

He formed an excellent partnership with Harry Kane, and that was a huge part in both players’ improvements over the course of the campaign.