AT the halfway stage of the campaign it looks unlikely that a SINGLE player from last season’s PFA Team of the Year will retain their place.
That’s partly because some are no longer playing in the Premier League but also due to the success stories of Arsenal and Newcastle.
On the flip side, last season’s top two, Manchester City and Liverpool, have struggled to hit the heights of previous years.
Only ever once in Premier League history has the entire team changed from one season to another and that came back in 2010-2011.
Here, we’ve looked at the team from last term and how far they’ve fallen…
Alisson Becker
Alisson is still widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, but his form has been questionable.
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He’s made some costly errors, notably against Wolves in the FA Cup and has only kept five clean sheets in 20 games.
That’s one fewer than Danny Ward, who was constantly mocked for his woeful start to the campaign.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
The England star has set the standards for full-backs in recent years but for much of this season, he’s looked ordinary at best.
And nothing highlights his dip in form more than his attacking numbers.
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Alexander-Arnold has registered just one goal and one assist, which is incredibly underwhelming considering he’s chipped in with at least nine goal contributions in each of the last four seasons.
Antonio Rudiger
Rudiger definitely won’t be keeping his place, although that’s because he’s no longer playing in England.
Following the expiration of his Chelsea contract last summer, the Germany international joined Real Madrid on a free transfer.
Virgil van Dijk
Van Dijk has been arguably the standout centre-back in the Premier League for the last five years.
But his level of performance has dipped quite dramatically and he hasn’t really recovered from his poor display against Fulham on the opening day.
Joao Cancelo
With one goal, seven assists and many exquisite passes, many viewed Cancelo as the best full-back in the world.
But the turn of events over the last few months have been a shock to say the least.
The Portugal star lost his place after the World Cup, which led to him sealing a loan move to Bayern Munich late in January.
Bernardo Silva
Bernardo enjoyed a fine start to the campaign, registering two goal and four assists in his first eight outings.
But like many of his City team-mates, he’s since struggled for consistency and has provided just ONE goal contribution in the last four months.
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago has missed a large chunk of the season through injury but even when he has been fit, he’s been a shadow of his former self.
Generally, Liverpool have been below-par, but Thiago’s form has been a major part of their downfall.
Kevin De Bruyne
Despite being dropped twice in recent weeks, De Bruyne is probably the only man on this list in with a chance of keeping his place in this team.
He’s still been directly involved in 15 goal involvements in 20 games and tops the assist charts by some distance with his partnership with Erling Haaland a big reason for that.
But the midfielder hasn’t hit top form for some time.
Sadio Mane
Mane is no longer playing in the Premier League after he joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer last summer.
And with Liverpool enduring their worst season for years, it wouldn’t be outrageous to suggest that his departure has led to their downfall.
Cristiano Ronaldo
No one could have possibly predicted what has ended up happening with Ronaldo.
Having tried to force a move away from Manchester United last summer, he then gave an explosive interview to Piers Morgan, which led to him having his contract termianted.
And as we know he then made the shock move to Saudi Arabia to sign for Al-Nassr.
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Mohamed Salah
Salah has still racked up 17 goals and seven assists in all competitions, but he’s generally been extremely below his usual standards.
In the Premier League, the forward has scored just seven goals and only five since August.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
