Another season, another Team of the Year snub for Sergio Aguero.
He was top scorer in the 2014/15 season and, at the time of writing, he’s the joint-second highest marksman with Jamie Vardy this campaign. However, just like last season, there is a large Sergio Aguero-shaped void in the Premier League Team of the Year.
The PFA Barclays Premier League Team of the Year 2016 #PFAawards: pic.twitter.com/Ffp9GTTMN2
— Professional Footballers’ Association (@PFA) April 21, 2016
It is surprising that a player of Aguero’s talents has never made the Team of the Year, particularly when you look at some of the players who’ve managed to make the Premier League’s best XI in the past.
With that in mind, we’ve decided to put together a team of players who, either through a hot streak of form, lack of competition or just blind luck, have cropped up in the Premier League Team of the Year more times than Aguero i.e. at least once.
GK – Tim Howard (Manchester United) 2003/04
It was tough to choose a goalkeeper as usually, whoever takes the number one spot, actually deserves it. However, Tim Howard winning it was somewhat of a surprise considering it was the year Arsenal’s “Invincibles” conceded nine less goals than the Red Devils in the campaign.
RB – Pascal Chimbonda (Wigan Athletic) 2005/06
That’s right, Pascal Chimbonda can legitimately say he has more TOTY appearances than Aguero. Another surprising fact about the Frenchman is that at 37 years of age, he’s still technically a professional footballer, albeit, he’s a free agent after being let go by Ligue 2 outfit AC Arles-Avignon in 2015.
CB – Richard Dunne (Aston Villa) 2009/10
Don’t get mad. We all know how much of hero Dunne is. His performance against Russia will go down in Irish sporting folklore for generations and he was legitimately one of the best centre-backs that campaign.
But, you’ve probably already seen the memes floating around Twitter comparing their goalscoring records. Aguero has 100 Premier League goals to his name, whereas Dunne notched up 10 own goals.
CB – Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United) 2011/12
Another player who was deserving of the award at the time, but considering how his career has gone (admittedly, injury has hampered him quite a bit) we feel like he deserves a spot in this team too. Also, we can only assume that while on duty for Argentina he was able to rub his TOTY appearance in his compatriot’s face.
Wouldn’t you do that to Aguero if you could?
LB – Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur) 2015/16
Danny Rose is a perfectly fine left back who had a decent season for Spurs, but was he really more deserving of the left-back spot than Christian Fuchs, Nacho Monreal and Aaron Cresswell?
RM – Nani (Manchester United) 2010/11
Yep.
CM – Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur) 2011/12
This was the the era where Premier League football writers lost their shit over Scott Parker. It might have been the fact that he was English or it could have been the black boots and straight-back-and-sides haircut, but somehow he managed to make the Team of the Year that season, a year after he was awarded the FWA Player of the Year.
CAM – Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) 2004/05
After running into problems with strikers (generally strikers who are good at their job and score lots of goals making the cut), we’ve decided to implement a 4-5-1 formation.
There was some serious competition for the right winger spot, but we just had to include Shaun Wright-Phillips. So we decided to go full Garth Crooks and play him out of position. In our defence, he has technically played in a more central role before.
CM – Samir Nasri (Arsenal) 2010/11
Once he was one of the most promising midfielders in the league, now he’s one of the most lavishly paid benchwarmers in the world.
LM – Kieron Dyer (Newcastle United) 2002/03
Sadly, he’ll probably be best remembered for throwing a haymaker at his teammate Lee Bowyer during a league game against Aston Villa in 2005.
ST – Andy Johnson (Crystal Palace) 2004/05
Far and away the second best striker after Thierry Henry that season, but in his heart of hearts, Johnson must know he could never hold a candle to Aguero, even during his pomp.
