Updated:
May 24, 2023 7:23 pm
The 2022-23 season has almost reached its climax, and what a season it has been. the first season to have a World Cup break in between has given us plenty of excitement throughout these nine months, and thus World In Sport is here to give out their awards.
Team Of The Season: Newcastle United
Even though Manchester City and Arsenal have both had extraordinary seasons, you cannot forget the season which the Magpies have had. To go from the brink of relegation, to 11th, and then finish in the top four in the following season in front of their new Saudi Arabian owners is a phenomenal achievement and one they should be proud of.
Kudos also to Eddie Howe and his staff for helping them build this dream which by all means is not over yet, particularly if they start next season in the same way that they started and ended this season.
“This wasn’t in our sights at the start of the season. We’d just escaped relegation and we were hopeful of growing and competing for Europe in a couple of seasons’ time so I can’t compliment the players enough. It would have been very easy to fade away but we didn’t.”
Howe: Sky Sports
However, with the pressure of Champions League football next season, it’ll be fascinating to see whether or not it will hinder their progress in the future.
Manager of the Season: Pep Guardiola
The architect of Manchester City’s dominance has proved yet again why he is or if not one of the best managers in the World. becoming the second Manager after Sir Alex Ferguson to win a hat-trick of Premier League Titles.
When the Spaniard walked into the Premier League, most people thought that this was going to be a heavyweight contest between himself and Jose Mourinho, as was the case at Madrid and Barcelona, but apart from Klopp’s Liverpool, nobody has been able to compete with his side, especially in the past few seasons.
If he does win the Champions League, he will also be only the first manager to do so with three different clubs, following his success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“It’s impossible, so this club won five in the last six, six in the last 10 and seven in the last 12. In 12 years, we won seven times, it’s amazing. It’s not just with me, it’s with Manuel [Pellegrini], with [Roberto] Mancini, so that means this club in one decade has been stable, but everybody knows if we want to be considered one of the best teams we have to win the Champions League, I’m sorry but we have to admit it.”
Guardiola: Manchester Evening News
Nevertheless, three Premier League Titles in a row is something truly outstanding and it could get better with an FA Cup and Champions League final next month.
Player Of The Season: Earling Haaland
This phenomenal Norwegian goalscorer has lit up the Premier League with his deadly striker abilities. With 36 goals in his debut season, he has now surpassed Alan Shearer(34) and Andy Cole(34) for the most goals in a Premier League season, which is one of the main reasons why Manchester City have claimed their ninth League Title.
His physical presence and finishing abilities are proving to be a nightmare for defenders, who are finding him extremely to stop, and he has just been unstoppable this season.
‘I saw a stat of Arsenal being 240 something days top of the table,’ ‘We were like 20. We were chasing the whole season and to get hold of it was such a relief. It was such an amazing feeling. ‘With all the experience in this club… they won it for the fifth time a lot of them. The hard work you do throughout the whole season is what you get in the end.’
Haaland: Metro
To replicate a season like this is quite difficult to achieve, but if Haaland can continue his goal-scoring dominance for the next five years and beyond, he could be the greatest ever centre forward.
Signing Of The Season: Casemiro
Haaland may have lit up the League with his goal-scoring prowess, but one of the reasons why Manchester United is in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League is due to the Brazilian midfielder.
Casemiro was brought into the team to bulk up United’s midfield and to give them extra protection when defending.
Ten Hag also wanted a leader who had a winning mentality, which fits the bill perfectly for the 31-year-old.
The Red Devils Boss praised the Brazillian for such a wonderful first season.
“We are happy we found him and his contribution is massive. I think even you miss him over eight or nine games through suspension – in the start of the season he wasn’t even there, but when he plays, you bring balance to the midfield and we’ve had a lot of wins with this midfield. “He keeps surprising you. He’s such a brilliant football player. We know him as very good with organisation, anticipation, winning duels, fighting and keeping the team together but in possession his passing distribution and finishing is very important.”
Erik Ten Hag: 90min
United has a win rate of 76% with Casemiro in the heart of midfield. his partnership with Bruno Fernandez and Christian Erikson has been outstanding this season. However, Ten Hag’s side only has a win percentage of 43% without the Brazillian.
Perhaps that is an area in which they would want to strengthen in the summer.
So this was World In Sport’s Premier League end-of-season awards, Let us know yours.
