The PFA player of the year award is always a hard one to
predict but a good place to start is your predicted title winners. In 5 of the
last 10 years the winner of the award has been one who won the title, while
when Wayne Rooney won in 2009/10 his United side had just run Chelsea to a
point, and when Steven Gerrard took his title, Liverpool had obviously won the
Champions League. Gareth Bale (twice) and Robin Van Persie have obviously won
the last three awards between them and both are well placed to play a starring
role again, although there is reason to think that a different player can take
the honours this season.
Bale starred for Tottenham and if staying – as looks likely –
he will be integral again but the additions of Paulinhio and Solado mean he’s not
the only person bearing responsibility on the club and he may not have to carry
them as much this season, a good thing for the club, but possibly a negative
given that Spurs look more likely for fourth than a title and trophies are up
in the air. Van Persie is likely to prove integral for United this year just as
much as last, but we don’t see them winning the title and it’s rather hard to
back him at a short price on that basis. Our idea of the League winner is either
Manchester City or Chelsea, with no clear preference for either after a lot of
time to think about things.
For Chelsea, if they win the title it looks likely to come
from the midfield trio of Oscar, Hazard, or Juan Mata, with both Hazard and
Mata worthy of support. Hazard came with a big reputation in his first year and
delivered on the hype fully, with 9 goals and 11 assists in a starring first
season after some had worried if he’d be able to handle England’s physicality,
which he did with aplomb although most of the time he was untouchable on some dazzling
runs.
Mata did even better, ending the season with the most
assists of anyone in the league while also scoring 12 goals, and his reliability
has made him into a Stamford Bridge legend in a short space of time. Some have
suggested that he may not get the time that he had under others in Jose’s
Chelsea but the 4-2-3-1 that he employed at Real Madrid contains three
positions that he could play with aplomb and if he gets the gametime he’s the
man to swing the big occasions – he scored twice against Manchester United, twice
against Arsenal, and once against Tottenham to boot – and at 16/1 can’t be resisted.
Of the City players, Sergio Aguero gets the vote over his
fellow strikers and also the midfield magicians. The man who could forever be
famously known for ‘that’ goal against QPR to snatch the title from Manchester
United two years ago, Aguero never quite got going after an early knee injury last
year, scoring ‘only’ 12 goals but never got the time he needed to stamp his
mark on proceedings. If staying fit this year, his case makes itself.
For the young player of the year, the 6’s about Hazard makes
appeal for the same reasons given above – as the player that’s by far the most
likely to win a title from the youth bunch this year. Jack Wilshere’s Arsenal
face a struggle to make the top 4 in our eyes and Coutinihio at Liverpool might
be a better bet based on his blistering introduction to last season, although
at 6’s he’s rather short for a side without a title chance that may well come
sixth.
Wilfred Zaha is a tempting bet at 16/1 given how much game
time he could get at Manchester United this season against tired legs, a new
sort of opportunity for the pacy young winger who may benefit from coming late
into the game from a theatrical kind of view with regards to winning this
award, while United’s wingers haven’t been performing as they’ve been known to
recently, which may end up to him getting a run in the team. United’s preference
to play on the break in big games last year – a strategy that served them well –
also bodes well for him, especially with Valencia and Nani not the consistent
bests they were two or three seasons ago, Ashley Young disappointing and
crocked, and Kagawa likely to play more centrally.
Advice – PFA Player of the Year
1 pt Juan Mata (16/1 general)
1 pt Eden Hazard (12/1 Skybet)
1 pt Sergio Aguero (14/1 general)
Advice – PFA Young Player of the year
1 pt Eden Hazard (6/1 Skybet)
1 pt Wilfred Zaha (16/1 Skybet)
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