The seven names that get released on the shortlist for the PFA footballer of the year each season usually spark some debate.
And this season is no different.
Gareth Bale, Samir Nasri, Charlie Adam, Carlos Tevez, Scott Parker, Rafael van der Vaart and Nemanja Vidic have made the cut this year.
But looking at those seven players there are some obvious big name absentees.
Two players that immediately sprung to mind when seeing the shortlist last week were two players who play their football in Manchester.
Nani has had by far his most productive season in a Manchester United shirt, scoring nine league goals and making 18 assists (the most in the league and nine more than his closest competitor Andrey Arshavin), while Vincent Kompany has been the backbone behind Manchester City’s challenge for a Champions League place next season.
As well as these two, the league’s leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov, Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan role in their first season back in the top flight, and the ever consistent goal-scoring of Darren Bent have not even been mentioned.
Kompany’s consistency amongst some of the madness that has characterized City’s season has really stood out and as a result it was a surprise not to see his name on the list.
Meanwhile Nani’s overall contribution in terms of goals scored and the part he has played in so many of United’s goals has been outstanding, especially considering the pressure he was under to perform following Antonio Valencia’s injury and Ji-Sung Park’s absence because of injury and his duties over at the Asia Cup.
One player that made the shortlist who was a surprise choice for me was Scott Parker.
Parker has had his best season for a number of years (since his time at Charlton where he made his name), but he has not been one of the top seven players in the league.
He has stood out in a terrible West Ham team because of his work-rate, desire and ‘never say die’ attitude which fans in England seem to view as being more important that actual footballing ability.
There’s a reason Chelsea sold him after all.
Surely if he had been the best player in the league this year, West Ham would not be in the relegation zone and just one point off being bottom of the league.
His small goal return and number of assists highlight that point, but I am not basing this argument purely on statistics because they do not also paint the right picture, but in this case they do provide some evidence for my view.
Parker’s performance for England in the recent European Championship qualifier against Wales rightly gained him praise, particularly from the media. But as always with English players people seem to have got far too carried away.
After all that game was against Wales, who are as average an international side as you are likely to see.
If West Ham stay up, which I’m not sure they will, Parker will rightly be seen as the catalyst for their survival.
But some perspective is surely needed.
Who will go on to win the award is difficult to predict. Gareth Bale seems to be the favorite after an impressive season at Spurs, but his nomination has been dependent upon his performances in the Champions League rather than the Premier League in which he has completed 90 minutes just four times and provided just one assist.
For me, and with an undeniable bias, Manchester United would not be where they are without their captain this season and so I hope Nemanja Vidic picks up the award.
If United go on to win their 19th league title, I doubt there could be too much argument against Vidic getting the recognition his contribution richly deserves.
Images from the BBC Sport Website
No comments:
Post a Comment