Page 35 - Soccer360 Issue 106

THE FAB FIVE
Dan Roberts picks out five players set the English Premier League alight in 2023-24.
PHIL FODEN - MANCHESTER CITY
Pep Guardiola has an embarrassment
of riches at his disposal but none
of his players are as devastatingly effective as Phil Foden. With a killer touch and fearsome shooting power,
he has become an integral part of the City machine, and he is still only 23.
His contributions became even more standout as the season reached its conclusion, including his sensational opener against West Ham United to help clinch the title on the final day.
ERLING HAALAND - MANCHESTER CITY
Apparently it has been a poor season for the Norwegian striker. He has struggled with injuries and in front of goal throughout the campaign and has been the subject of previously unheard- of criticism. The fact that he has won the Golden Boot again and been a part of another multiple trophy-winning Manchester City side shows just how high the bar is for this incredible player.
MARTIN ØDEGAARD -wAayRsiSncEeNAL Real Madrid
Phil Foden
Erling Haaland
Arsenal have always pridwoendthtehemselves
on their creative play - at least since the
Arsene Wenger era - and sitting in the
UEFA has come a long
midfield directing the game for the last few seasons has been Martin Ødegaard. A former teenage sensation who seemed to have missed his chance, the Danish captain is now one of the finest ball players in the world and his intelligence shines through almost every time he takes to the pitch.
COLE PALMER – CHELSEA
Chelsea have been anything but consistent throughout 2023-24. With an owner spending over a billion pounds
on new players, more would have been expected. But the emergence of Cole Palmer has been a rare bright spot. His goalscoring and passing talent has set him apart at the club and proved why he felt he needed to leave Manchester City last summer in search of more playing time.
OLLIE WATKINS - ASTON VILLA
In a season when much of the attention has been on the three-horse race for
the title, Aston Villa have been quietly going about their business and have excelled in Europe. Much of that is down to the performances of Ollie Watkins, who his 19 Premier League goals and played a part in so many others with his intelligence and unselfishness.
very first
Champions League Cup
in 1955
Martin Odegaard
Cole Palmer
The English Premier League
thinks of itself as the biggest and the best in the world. With the money available to all 20 clubs,
it is certainly able to attract a
lot of the top talent from across the globe. But there has been
a very familiar story in the last few years as far as the title race goes. Typically, Manchester City will have some competition for
a while but Pep Guardiola’s men will eventually pull away at the top and claim yet another championship. It is fair to say that this season has been a little different.
Many neutral fans will have watched Arsenal’s valiant, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to wrestle the Premier League trophy away from Manchester City in 2022- 23 and concluded that the Gunners had missed their best opportunity for a long time to win a 14th league title. But Mikel Arteta had been at pains to say that everyone should trust in the process and this season has shown that Arsenal are indeed the
real deal. What most Premier League fans probably didn’t expect, however, was that for the first time in a decade there would be three clubs going into the final weeks of the season with a realistic chance of claiming the biggest prize in English football.
As a possible sign of things to come, Arsenal and Manchester City could not be separated in normal time in the traditional English season curtain raiser, the Community Shield. Penalties were needed and Arsenal claimed the first title of the season, ending City’s chances of a possible sextuple. But it was the race for the Premier League title that really captured the imagination. City were looking to break the record for consecutive championships by winning their fourth in a row, while Arsenal were hoping to claim their first in 20 years. For a while, it looked like Liverpool also might be in with a chance. But by the final game day of the season, there
FACTS
Burnley, Everton, Luton and Sheffield United all lost their opening three Premier League games this season, the first time in English top-flight history as many as four different clubs have done so.
None of the
first 46 Premier League games this season ended 0-0. It’s the joint-longest run without a goalless draw from the start of a PL campaign (level with 2020- 21).
SOCCER360 SUMMER 2024 33
LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE):
City eventually won a fourth successive league title
TOP:
Manchester United endured their worst ever Premier League campaign
Ollie Watkins