It’s been a fortnight since football in England was brought to an abrupt halt – and we’re truly missing it like mad!
In the Premier League, it had been a cracking campaign up to that point, with Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Liverpool side running away with the title, an intriguing battle to finish in the top four all set to catch fire and a tense fight developing at the bottom to avoid relegation to the Championship.
There have been some terrific individual performances from players across the top-flight, whether their respective clubs are at the top or the bottom.
Here, talkSPORT.com picks out the standout player for every Premier League side this term…
Arsenal – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
It’s been an up and down season for the Gunners but one player who’s been consistent throughout is their star striker, Aubameyang.
He was made captain following Granit Xhaka’s incredible outburst at fans during a match in October.
And you wonder where Arsenal would be without their marksman, who has 20 goals in all competitions for them this term. He’s second in the Premier League’s goalscoring charts behind Leicester striker Jamie Vardy.
It’s crucial Arsenal keep hold of the 30-year-old who’s stalling on signing a new deal, this summer. His departure would be a huge setback to the promising work Mikel Arteta is building at the Emirates Stadium.
Aston Villa – Jack Grealish
John McGinn was an early contender to be Villa’s player of the season, but he sustained a severe ankle injury in December.
As a result it’s obvious the Villans’ best star has been Grealish in what has been a difficult season in the league.
Grealish has led the team by example and has chipped in with seven goals and six assists in 26 matches.
If Villa go down, a top Premier League club will snap him up and it can’t be too much longer before he wins a cap for England.
By the time the delayed European Championship comes around in 2021, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he becomes a key player for the Three Lions.
Bournemouth – Aaron Ramsdale
It’s been a tricky season for Bournemouth, who have lost 16 times in the league and are currently in the relegation zone.
But one shining light for them has been goalkeeper Ramsdale, who has established himself as the club’s no.1 this term.
The 21-year-old only has four Premier League clean sheets to his name in 2019/20 but he’s caught the eye and has even been linked with clubs like Chelsea and Tottenham.
However, it’s usually a bad sign for a team if the keeper is the best as it suggests the outfield players haven’t been up to it.
Brighton – Dan Burn
Although he signed for Brighton in August 2018, defender Burn didn’t make a Premier League appearance for the Seagulls until this season.
He’s grabbed his opportunity under Graham Potter, establishing himself at left-back, and has also shown the ability to recover from setbacks having sustained a fractured collarbone on New Year’s Day.
Brighton are currently outside the relegation zone but are by no means safe from the drop so Burn and the rest of the Brighton defenders will have to be at their best when the season resumes.
Burnley – James Tarkowski
There were some difficult moments for Burnley earlier this season but an excellent run of form, which saw them go seven games unbeaten, has sent them up to tenth in the table.
The Clarets have only conceded three goals in those seven matches, which has seen them play against Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Captain Ben Mee and James Tarkowski are Burnley’s centre-back pairing and although both would be deserving of the prize, there can only be one winner.
We’ve gone for Tarkowski, who has an overall WhoScored rating of 7.11 this season, compared to Mee’s 6.88 rating, and is ever dependable.
Chelsea – Mateo Kovacic
Frank Lampard deserves a lot of credit for giving a number of young players a chance to shine for Chelsea this season.
But it’s been a more experienced player who has been the standout player at Stamford Bridge in midfielder Kovacic.
The Croatian really struggled for form last season but has shown exactly why Chelsea acquired him from Real Madrid.
He’s now an essential part of Lampard’s midfield doing the not so glamorous jobs, but also demonstrating real quality and creativity.
Crystal Palace – Jordan Ayew
Usually a team that flirts with those fighting relegation, this season has been a welcome change for Palace fans as they are just a point away from the magic 40 which tends to be enough to stay up.
It’s hard to identify a standout player as the Eagles do not score that much, having only found the net 26 times in 29 matches.
Wilfried Zaha is easily their most talented player but he’s not been at his free-flowing best this season so we’re giving this prize to Ayew.
The Ghanaian is comfortably Palace’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with eight strikes, well ahead of Patrick van Aanholt and Zaha, who have three each.
Everton – Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The less said about their start to the season the better, with the Toffees even languishing in the relegation zone at one point.
But they’ve improved after Marco Silva left and experienced manager Carlo Ancelotti has stabilised them since arriving in December.
And one player who’s really taken his game to the next level is striker Calvert-Lewin, who has scored ten Premier League goals since Silva was sacked.
Before Euro 2020 was postponed until the summer of 2021, Calvert-Lewin was in contention to make England’s squad.
Leicester – Ricardo Pereira
The Foxes – sitting third – are certainly contenders for surprise package of the season although they do have a lot of talented players among their ranks.
Vardy started the season on fire and has the most Premier League goals with 17, although he’s only scored twice since the turn of the year.
So we’re giving the prize to someone who has been consistent throughout 2019/20, defender Ricardo.
The right-back has an overall WhoScored rating of 7.50, which is more than any other Leicester player this season. He’s also chipped in with three goals and two assists this term.
Liverpool – Jordan Henderson
A number of players have been outstanding for the runaway leaders – Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk among them – but the pick of the bunch has to be captain Henderson.
He doesn’t boast brilliant goal or assist stats but he so often he has stood up and made himself counted during difficult matches for the Reds this season.
Displays against Tottenham and Manchester City are just a couple of examples where Henderson has been truly on it this term, driving his team to excellence and not letting standards slip.
talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham and Darren Bent are tipping him to win the PFA Player of the Year award and there’s no doubting he’d be a deserved winner.
Manchester City – Kevin De Bruyne
Arguably the most gifted player in the Premier League, De Bruyne has been wonderful to watch this season.
Man City have not been at their best but the main reason they’re so far off Liverpool is due to their defensive frailties.
Going forward they’re still a serious force, and the attackers have the Belgian to thank a lot of the time for creating chances for them to score – De Bruyne has 16 assists in the league this season.
He was at his blistering best during City’s 3-0 win at Arsenal in December where he scored two brilliant goals and created the other.
Manchester United – Aaron Wan-Bissaka
You get the sense Man United are gradually getting better as they’re able to give their top-six rivals a good game.
However they’re inconsistent and give away silly points against sides they should beat comfortably, but one player who has maintained a high level throughout is Wan-Bissaka.
The full-back was signed from Crystal Palace for £45million last summer and, along with centre-back Harry Maguire, has helped stabilise United in defence.
Wan-Bissaka has been at his best during United’s league double over rivals Man City this season, marking Raheem Sterling out of both games, which saw Jamie Carragher hail the 22-year-old as the ‘best one-on-one defender in the world’.
Newcastle – Miguel Almiron
Like Crystal Palace, Newcastle are also exceeding expectations this season as they have breathing space from the relegation zone.
They don’t have too much going for them up front, £27m signing Joelinton particularly struggling for form, but are well organised in defence.
Allan Saint-Maximin has had exciting moments but lacks end product so we’ve gone for Almiron as the Magpies’ best player.
The attacking midfielder only has two league goals to his name this term but his tireless efforts makes him a Toon Army favourite and the Paraguay international deserves huge credit for improving as the season has progressed.
Norwich – Todd Cantwell
Teemu Pukki would have been the obvious pick, particularly as everything he touched turned to goals in the early stages of the season, scoring five times in his first three Premier League matches.
But the Finnish striker has been off the pace in the second half of the campaign and last found the net on January 22.
A more consistent performer has been Cantwell, 22, who has chipped in with six goals and two assists this term, which is pretty good going playing for a side that’s bottom of the table.
Norwich look likely to be relegated but midfielder Cantwell could well get a big move in the summer with leaders Liverpool rumoured to be interested in him.
Able to stay wide or drift inside, he gives opponents a real headache.
Sheffield United – Dean Henderson
Another Henderson who’s done really well is goalkeeper Dean, who’s been a solid performer between the sticks at Sheffield United.
The on-loan Manchester United man has kept ten clean sheets in the league this season, with only Burnley’s Nick Pope in front of him.
Before coronavirus halted football, Henderson was being tipped to replace the inconsistent Jordan Pickford as England’s no.1, particularly after this brilliant double save during Sheffield United’s last Premier League outing.
Henderson is due to return to Old Trafford next season and has a chance of challenging David de Gea, who has been somewhat out of sorts since the back end of last season.
Southampton – Danny Ings
You don’t know bad luck until you’ve seen Ings’ four-year spell at Liverpool that was utterly ruined by two serious knee injuries.
But we’re now seeing how good the striker is since completing a move to Southampton on a permanent deal last summer.
Ings has fired in 15 league goals for Saints this term. He’s not a big name striker so this goal tally has made him a favourite among fantasy football managers too.
Tottenham – Giovani Lo Celso
It’s been a tough campaign for Spurs with injuries and poor form blighting the squad.
No one has been brilliant – Serge Aurier has been consistent, Japhet Tanganga has showed promising signs, while the likes of Dele Alli, Harry Winks, and Heung-Min Son have starred in patches.
Son’s excellent goal against Burnley in December deserves a mention as he channelled his inner Diego Maradona to rip through the Clarets’ defence before stroking the ball home.
However, Lo Celso is now the man fans want the club to be built around. Feisty and not afraid to get stuck in, he is as diligent defensively as he is a menace going forward with his line-breaking dribbles and his deft passing in the final third.
After a period of acclimatisation he’s really settled and could be a superstar next season.
Watford – Ismaila Sarr
Fixtures against Liverpool have shown the good and bad side of Sarr. At Anfield, he made a hash of a golden chance by missing a bouncing ball completely with the game evenly balanced. Watford went on to lose 2-0.
But the Senegal forward then gave Liverpool’s star-studded defence the run around at Vicarage Road, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory for the Hornets. This is the only time the Reds have lost in the league this season.
Sarr may only have five league goals this season but the general pattern is that Watford tend to play well when he’s on the pitch.
After losing to Liverpool, Watford went on a run of six games unbeaten, Sarr starting all of them. He didn’t play the next three which saw Watford lose two and draw one. Coincidence? We think not.
West Ham – Angelo Ogbonna
The ‘Hammer of the Year’ award may not sound especially prestigious, but to West Ham fans it is a tradition which has stood the test of time, much like the ‘Academy of Football’.
Bobby Moore, Paolo Di Canio, Carlos Tevez and Dimitri Payet are just some of the illustrious names etched onto the trophy – but West Ham fans appreciate substance as much as style.
And Ogbonna has been West Ham’s most consistent performer in what has been an underwhelming campaign.
With Fabien Balbuena and Lukasz Fabianski failing to capture the form of their debut seasons owing to injuries, the Italy international has stepped up and put in some assured defensive performances.
While Declan Rice and Pablo Fornals have also excelled this season, the job Ogbonna has done has been nothing short of miraculous given the lack of cover the Hammers defence has faced at times this season.
Wolves – Adama Traore
Once likened to a learner driver behind the wheel of a Ferrari, Traore has well and truly shown the doubters what he’s all about this season.
The former Barcelona man now has an end-product to his game and knows how to use his excellent strength, most notably out-muscling Benjamin Mendy during Wolves’ 3-2 victory against Man City in December.
It’s an exciting time for Wolves who are still in the Europa League and are in the conversation to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Left-backs across Europe’s top clubs will not fancy the prospect of marking Traore.
