The Premier League fixtures have just one (postponed) game to come, but the ESPN FC Team of the Season is done and dusted. Their panel of experts carefully selects 11 star performers, along with a manager.
Do you agree or disagree? You can have your say on those picked or overlooked in the comments section at the foot of the article or on Twitter using the hashtag
#TOTS. Plus, tune in to ESPN FC TV for further reaction.
ESPN FC's Team of the Season
GK: Kickstarting a theme that runs through our esteemed Team of the Season, there's complete agreement that the goalkeeper is to be David De Gea. The Manchester United stopper is the best in the Premier League in "every department" according to Paul Mariner, a view backed up by Steve Nicol. Gab Marcotti makes it a clean sweep for the Spaniard and explains: "Stick Sergio Romero in there all season and Man Utd might not be in Europe next year. A game-changer."
RB: This streak of unity spills over to our right-back, Arsenal's Hector Bellerin, who gives this TOTS a distinctly Spanish feeling just two players in. Nicol lauds his abilities in both attacking and defensive settings, with the theme of emergence prominent from Marcotti and Mariner. The former notes how he has outlasted a veteran in Mathieu Debuchy and another young gun in Calum Chambers. The latter says the 21-year-old is "comfortable on the ball, a fantastic overlapping player and an excellent one vs. one defender." So pretty good at his job, then.
LB: There is, however, a split at left back. Mariner and Nicol have both plumped for Tottenham's Danny Rose, a player who seems to have been around forever but is somehow still only 25-years-old. Mariner trumpets many of the same qualities he espoused over Bellerin -- a bundle of energy, charging up the wing to supplement the attack and a super one vs. one defender. Marcotti, who permits himself one wildcard, has gone for Bournemouth's Charlie Daniels whom he says added consistency and quality to the Cherries' left flank. "If it wasn't for Leicester, he would be one of comeback stories of the year." And if it wasn't for the other two, Daniels would be in.
CB: Harmony is reinstated at centre-back where Toby Alderweireld is unanimously anointed. Voted Tottenham's Player of the Season by supporters, the Belgian is lauded by all three of our pundits. "Terrifyingly consistent. At one point he went nine games without committing a foul. Intelligent, tough and one of the few to keep his head at Stamford Bridge," says Marcotti. "A very steady defender," Mariner adds.
CB: Alongside Alderweireld, a man who pipped him to the title: Leicester captain Wes Morgan. As Mariner correctly points out, he had the season of his life. "A true leader of men, Morgan defended for all he was worth and scored crucial goals when the pressure was on." Nicol agrees and that means once again those two have conspired to keep Marcotti's choice of Southampton's Virgil van Dijk on the bench. "Size and strength, but also the smarts to go with it and a threat at the attacking end," Gab adds, in vain.
CM: Into the midfield, and N'Golo Kante is going to have some serious work to do judging by its staunchly attacking nature. The Leicester man has looked at home in the Premier League this season, and is rightly deserving of all the plaudits that come his way. A player hungry for work and an incredible interceptor of the ball, Kante is the poster-child for the holding midfielder. Mariner says his energy levels are "off the chart and Marcotti expertly points out: "One quote says it all. 'We play a midfield three. Danny Drinkwater in the middle and N'Golo Kante either side of him.'"
CM: Next to Kante is Dele Alli. He may have been shunned by Marcotti in favour of teammate Mousa Dembele ("the glue in Spurs' midfield") but the love is strong in Mariner and Nicol. The former describes Alli's incredible break out season like this: "He scored all types of goals, has workrate as well as class and quality on the ball." Now if he can just keep that temperament in check...
RM: Back to an agreement hat trick in regard to our man on the right flank:Riyad Mahrez. A whopping 17 goals and 11 assists have confirmed his status as Leicester's creative heartbeat and rightly earned him the PFA Player of the Year award. Nicol trumpets his elusive qualities while Mariner applauds his unselfishness and his ruthlessness in front of goal. Marcotti, meanwhile, points to Claudio Ranieri's summation of his side's potency: "He [Mahrez] was the light; Vardy was the gun."
LM: On the opposite wing is West Ham's immovable object: Dimitri Payet. Such was the Frenchman's impact in the first half of the season, he'd bagged a new contract by the time February was out. Nicol is a big fan and Marcotti adds: "Has unpredictability and quality in the [recent] West Ham tradition of Paolo Di Canio and Eyal Berkovic. At times, he made it look like man against boys." Payet trumps Mariner's suggestion of Arsenal's assist maestro Mesut Ozil.
CF: There are no surprises in the front two, though Marcotti's left-field tendencies rear their head again. He ignores Harry Kane in favour of Watford's Troy Deeney, who he rightly points out, is the only player along with Mahrez to have scored at least 12 goals and registered seven assists. But, as ever, he's been overlooked for his alternative views by the other two. Tottenham striker Kane is their man and the "real deal" according to Mariner. "No slump for Harry in his second season. He's played a lot of football for club and country but kept his amazing strike rate and work ethic up." Nicol says he is a natural goalscorer.
CF: Jamie Vardy's goals and his pivotal role in Leicester's miracle story make sure of his place. Vardy netted 24 times, and in 11 games in a row, to set a new Premier League record and pick up the Premier League and Football Writers' Player of the Year award. Marcotti says: "His workrate and energy also powered Leicester off the ball. He was their first defender and disruptor, too. Tremendous story." Nicol salutes his tenacity, while Mariner calls him "an unselfish player" and a joy to watch.
Manager: Another clean sweep in terms of the coach, and quite right too. Nearly always the bridesmaid, hardly ever the bride, Claudio Ranieri had the season of his life -- one that will go down in the annals of history as football's ultimate fairytale. Testament to the man he is, the world has been united in its delight for the Italian. "Whatever Ranieri did, it was genius," exclaims Mariner, while Marcotti sums up his season of all seasons like this: "He proved so many people wrong, proved that people evolve over time, proved that what we call the "impossible" is really just the "highly improbable."
