Every Team’s Player of the Season (Pt. 2)

Courtesy of The Top Flight

Matchweek 38 - 2022/23

Continued from Part 1

Leeds: Rodrigo

A tough choice given Leeds’ general underwhelming performances all year, but forward Rodrigo’s attacking contributions are what narrowly gives him this award. The Yorkshire club had a difficult season with four different managers taking charge, and even the notorious Sam Allardyce couldn’t save them from relegation on the final day. The Spanish international did his best, but it wasn’t enough to keep Leeds up for a fourth season. 

Rodrigo, like other forwards on this list whose scoring kept their clubs in games they might not have deserved to be in, was far and away his team’s leading marksman with 13 goals. The closest behind him was Jack Harrison and Luis Sinisterra, each with five. Leeds had the worst defensive record and conceded 78 times, and would have been relegated much sooner had Rodrigo not scored over 25% of their goals. 

Liverpool: Allison

The Reds struggled throughout the season, inconsistently bouncing between 10th and fifth before climbing up the table to finish just outside the top four. While injuries and poor form bogged them down, goalkeeper Allison was a consistent superstar that kept Liverpool from falling even further down the table. Talisman Mohammed Salah certainly deserves credit for his 19 goals and 12 assists, but without Allison, Liverpool would likely have seen their already forgettable season turn into complete humiliation. 

Deservedly, the Brazilian shotstopper won Liverpool’s Player of the Season award for his 14 clean sheets, tied for second-most in the league. He also showed up in tight games, saving a penalty in a 1-0 win against West Ham, and made 108 saves throughout the season, which was fourth most in the league. He even notched an assist on Salah’s winning goal over Manchester City in October, and season after season has proven himself to be one of Liverpool’s most valuable players. 

Manchester City: Erling Haaland

The sky is blue, the world turns, and Erling Haaland is Manchester City’s Player of the Season. What else is new? The Norwegian had a record-setting debut campaign, and picked up accolades including the Premier League’s Golden Boot, European Golden Shoe, Premier League Player of the Season, as well as contributing massively to City’s treble success. 36 goals and 8 assists puts him level with the legendary Thierry Henry in second place for total goal involvements in a Premier League season, and it’s frightening to think that this is only his first season. 

Haaland’s impact goes beyond just his staggering form in front of goal. Some may argue that his high tally came from being the frontman for one of the best teams in history with world-class technicians like De Bruyne, Gundogan, and Rodri backing him up, but Haaland pulled his weight as much as any other teammate. Even when he wasn’t scoring, the 6’4” juggernaut caused so many problems for defenders that it’s foolish to think even his presence didn’t add to City’s success. As City continue to build their legacy as one of the greats, Haaland will undoubtedly be central to their ongoing success. 

Manchester United: Casemiro

Signed for over $75 million before the season started, the Brazilian midfielder was one of the driving factors behind Erik Ten Hag’s revitalization of Manchester United. The Red Devils were struggling in the summer with frustrated fans and a vague path forward, but Casemiro’s arrival from Champions League-winning Real Madrid hinted that United still had life in them. 

He did have some disciplinary issues, missing seven games through red and yellow card suspensions, and the squad felt his absence, dropping points in each of the games immediately following his suspensions including critical games against Arsenal and Newcastle. Regardless, Casemiro’s influence on the pitch was unmatched. Paired with attacking midfielders like Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen, Casemiro balanced their creativity with crunching tackles and crucial interceptions, and allowed Ten Hag to lead United to an accomplished first season, including lifting the Carabao Cup in February. 

Newcastle: Kieran Trippier

The Magpies enjoyed one of their best seasons and will play in the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years. After finishing last season in 11th after an escape from relegation, it is a massive turnaround at the Tyneside club. Multiple components like manager Eddie Howe and leading goalscorer Callum Wilson proved their worth, but captain Kieran Trippier was Newcastle’s best player. 

Trippier started every game, and while he only added one goal and seven assists from his right-back position, he drew on years of top-level experience to urge his teammates towards European qualification. The England international made a difference at both ends of the field, serving in 393 crosses, most in the league, and played nearly every minute in a backline that posted 14 clean sheets and a joint-lowest 33 goals conceded. With the Magpies flying into Europe next year, that defensive stability will be a deciding factor whether their involvement will be an achievement or a collapse. 

Nottingham Forest: Taiwo Awoniyi

In their first season back in the Premier League since a dead-last finish in 1998/99, Forest faced an uphill battle to earn their second season. Led by Steve Cooper, the Garibaldi managed to squeak to safety by four points. Though center forward Taiwo Awoniyi didn’t have as many total involvements as star winger Brennan Johnson, Awoniyi’s goals were pivotal in keeping his side away from the drop.

The Nigerian number nine only scored ten times across the campaign, which is still respectable for a striker’s first year after promotion, but he chose his moments perfectly. Awoniyi scored the only goal in 1-0 wins against West Ham, Liverpool, and Southampton. He then stepped up a gear in Forest’s vital end-of-season stretch, scoring six goals in their final four games. And important goals they were too, scoring twice in a 4-3 win over the Saints and in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea, and then notched Forest’s only goals in a 1-0 win over Arsenal to secure another year in the top flight and a 1-1 draw at Palace. Taking Awoniyi’s goals away would have cost Forest a staggering 15 points, and dropped them to certain relegation, ending even lower than Southampton.  

Southampton: James Ward-Prowse

In a depressing, humiliating season with the lowest points total since 1895/96, James Ward-Prowse was one of Southampton’s rare regular performers. The Saint’s captain, who has played over 400 games for his boyhood club, knew that the club’s standards had “slipped.” He had an incredibly difficult task to pull together a struggling side, who hadn’t finished in the top half since 2016/17. 

Ward-Prowse led his team in goals, assists, minutes played, passes, and tackles, and took the second-most shots, in addition to his determined attempts to keep his club from the drop. He also has one of the best free kicks techniques in the league, and three additional conversions this season bring him to 17, one away from David Beckham’s all-time record. With Southampton relegated, there is plenty of speculation over his future with the Saints, and if he does move on, they will be losing one of the best players in their history. 

Spurs: Harry Kane

Likely one of the players most deserving of success in the entire league, Harry Kane had another stunning yet fruitless season. 30 goals equals his highest ever output (an xG overperformance of almost nine goals), and would have earned him a Golden Boot in seven of the previous eight seasons, and his fourth ever, had Erling Haaland not made the English top-flight his playground. Kane’s only downfall is his club. Spurs are one of the biggest underperformers, with plenty of money, talent, and fans backing them, but unable to pick up points when it counts. 

Even though new manager Ange Postecoglou brings promise of a new-look Spurs, Kane must seriously consider whether another season in North London is the best idea. Over the past decade, the Englishman has become one of the most prolific strikers in the world, but has disappointingly little to show for it. With only individual awards in his cabinet, the Spurs talisman must consider whether it’s time to move on in hopes of finding success with a new team. 

West Ham: Declan Rice

After joining the youth ranks aged 14, Declan Rice has worked his way up to West Ham’s captain this past season, and was a cornerstone of their 6th and 7th place finishes in the previous two seasons. While West Ham didn’t do as well this season, the three-time Hammer of the Year has developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe, thanks to his unique ability to turn defense into attack. Rice is known for his prowess not only at winning the ball back for his side, but for his dribbling and physical abilities to then carry the ball up the field and send his teammates on the attack. He featured 37 times for the Hammers this season, and his standout performances have caught the eye of Arsenal, who have now made him the most expensive British player in history. 

Outside the Premier League, Rice also proved pivotal to the Hammers’ first season with European success since 1964/65. He featured 12 times in his side’s victorious Europa Conference League campaign, and picked up the competition’s Player of the Season award. His only critique is a potential for a higher goalscoring output given his dribbling ability, but Rice’s four goals were as many as some undoubted attackers like Bernardo Silva and Bruno Guimaraes, and he more than made up for his lack of goals with his pivotal transition play. Now with sky-high expectations joining Arsenal, Rice will easily be a factor in any success the Gunners find. 

Wolves: Ruben Neves

Neves drew attention to himself in an underperforming Wolves lineup, similar to Declan Rice, for his ability to both win the ball back defensively and create dangerous chances at the top end of the field. The Portuguese midfielder ranked in the top fifteen for tackles, interceptions, touches, and passes, which is especially impressive for a team that spent almost two-thirds of the season placed 15th or lower. 

Across his Wolves career, Neves also had a unique reputation for scoring stunners, and he added two more long-range strikes to his resume this season that each earned Wolves a tight draw, in addition to four other strikes that saw him tied for leading scorer at his club. Now departing the West Midlands for a big-money move to the Saudi Pro League, Neves leaves a huge gap in Wolves’ midfield that will not be easy to fill. 

With more storylines, plot twists, and background details than can ever be summarized in a single article, the 2022/23 Premier League season has been one of the most entertaining, and nail-biting, campaigns to watch. Driven by some of the best players in the world, no matter if they’re club captains, bench players, leading goalscorers, or young stars, each has a role to play in keeping fans on the edge of their seats. And with such a talented group of superstars already, there’s no doubt that next season will bring even more drama, wonder, suspense, and celebration, and who can wait for it to start?

Ian Katan

Back to Matchweek Moments