With the 2021/22 Premier League season now firmly in the rear view, all that remains to be resolved now is some of the few remaining seasonal awards.
Among those still to be dished out are the coveted PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Team of the Year awards, with the majority of the Premier League’s awards having already been given out.
This year, the Premier League created a host of new categories including Most Powerful Goal, Most Improbable Comeback and Game Changer, adding to the ever-growing list of individual honours that players can be put in contention for at the end of a campaign. So whilst those in the footballing world mull over some of the honours that are still to be settled, we decided to come up with our own batch of unique categories highlighting all of the best (and worst) from the 2021/2022 top flight.
Here are our alternative Premier League awards for the season just gone.
Premier League Alternative Awards for the season 2021/22
The signing of the season: Jose Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Starting off with a bang, the signing of the season has been a hotly debated topic this year, intensified by the influx of talent to the league in January, when players like Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski arrived and took the top flight by storm.
However, over the course of the season, few can match the impact that goalkeeper Jose Sa has had at Wolves. There was certainly a degree of concern around Molineux when Wolves sold Portugal international Rui Patricio and replaced him with the uncapped Sa, but the latter has enjoyed a fine debut season in England.
Sa made a total of 121 saves in 37 appearances, the fourth highest saves tally in the league, and kept 11 clean sheets. His efforts ensured that Wolves finished the season with the best defensive record outside of the top four.
Deserved recognition as an excellent goalkeeper.
Most improved: Joelinton (Newcastle United)
The 2021/22 campaign was very much a season of two halves for Newcastle United, who went from being marooned in the bottom three to finishing in the comfort of mid-table following the change of management and influx of new players in January.
Nobody embodied Newcastle’s turnaround more than Joelinton. Previously a misfiring forward, Eddie Howe has converted the Brazilian into a central midfielder, a role in which he has thrived spectacularly. Since moving to a deeper role, both his and the team’s form have skyrocketed, with Joelinton eventually being named the Newcastle United Player of the Season following his incredible career turnaround.
Joelinton is now virtually unrecognizable to the player who struggled massively during his first two years on Tyneside.
Revival award: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
This award goes to a player who has returned to his best after a period of time below that level, and that certainly describes the season that Trent Alexander-Arnold has had this time around.
It may seem strange to give this award to such a quality player, but it’s easy to forget just how much his level dropped in 2020/21 when Liverpool’s defence fell to pieces through various injuries. Trent’s form has certainly rebounded this time around, with his attacking output and defensive discipline both showing marked improvements in 2021/22.
With Trent now back in this kind of form, it’s hard to imagine him missing out on England squads as he did at times during the previous campaign.
Best senior player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Was there really anybody else it could be?
Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford shook the footballing world last August, and it’s fair to say that the Portuguese icon hasn’t lost his goalscoring touch since coming back to the Premier League. Although United have struggled badly, and Ronaldo’s influence on the balance of the team has at times been debated, nobody can argue with his tally of 18 Premier League goals this season, a fantastic return for anybody playing in this lethargic United side.
Now 37, will he still be around at the end of the summer once Erik Ten Hag has taken over the Old Trafford hot seat?
The forgotten man: Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
And now from a revival to a sharp decline, the story of this season feels all too familiar for Manchester United’s Luke Shaw.
After finally looking like he was living up to his potential with a terrific 2020/21 campaign and exceptional performances with England at Euro 2020, Shaw has reverted back to a pattern of injury and inconsistency this season, playing less than half of the available minutes in the 21/22 Premier League.
His decline has been an embodiment of Manchester United’s season, and who knows if he will be given the opportunity to get back to his best in the coming campaign.
Flop of the season: Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
There are a fair few candidates for Premier League flop of the season this time around, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane all being commonly highlighted as players who failed to reach the expected level following their transfer moves last summer.
However, no signing has been quite as disappointing as Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku. Arriving back in England following two brilliant years with Inter, and presumably with a point to prove following his underwhelming spell at Manchester United a few years ago, Lukaku looked like he could well be the final piece in the puzzle to take Chelsea to the next level.
In the end though, it was a poor season for Lukaku, who managed just eight league goals and went from late December to early May without scoring in the top flight – simply not good enough for a player who cost just short of £100 million. His comments around Christmas time speaking of his continued affection for former club Inter hardly helped matters either.
With changes underway at Chelsea this summer, the Belgian striker may not even get the chance to turn it around.
Individual performance of the season: Kevin De Bruyne vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
The title race between Manchester City and Liverpool this season was almost a mirror image of the battle between the same teams three years ago, with both fighting until the bitter end and City emerging victorious by a single point.
It takes big individual performances from the very best players to see a team over the line in these circumstances, and City’s talismanic Kevin De Bruyne produced the greatest solo display of the season towards the end of the campaign in a thumping win over Wolves.
The Belgian midfielder scored four times in the game, including a first half hat-trick all scored with his weaker foot, as City won 5-1 to stay top of the table.
Once again the driving force behind City’s march to the title, De Bruyne really did save the best until the end with this display.
Team performance of the season: Brentford vs Chelsea
There was an air of anticipation surrounding Brentford following their promotion to the Premier League last year, as we all watched and waited to see how the Bees would fare in their first top flight season since the 1940’s.
Aside from a poor mid-season, their campaign turned out to be a roaring success, and reached its zenith in early April when they dismantled London rivals Chelsea 4-1 away from home. Having battled through the first half only to find themselves a goal down just minutes after the restart, Brentford suddenly turned on the style to deliver a breathtaking second half performance, with Vitaly Janelt, Christian Eriksen and Yoane Wissa amongst the goals.
The result marked Chelsea’s biggest league defeat of the season, and highlighted above all else what a fantastic addition Brentford have been to the League in their first ever season in this competition.
The comeback kings: Liverpool
Last season, Manchester United’s ability to rescue difficult situations was a central pillar of their good form, with the Red Devils picking up a staggering 31 points from losing positions. This time around it was Liverpool who claimed the honour of being comeback kings, earning 20 of their 92 points from losing positions.
That may seem a relatively low number compared to United’s total from the previous season, but it’s fair to say that Liverpool’s immense strength all over the pitch means they are not as accustomed to falling behind as most of the other teams in the division. Incredibly, half of that tally came in the final four games, with Liverpool battling back to victories over Aston Villa, Southampton and Wolves as well as a draw with Spurs as they fought for the title until the very end.
All a testament to the exceptional strength of character that Jurgen Klopps’ team possess.
Most surprising team: Everton
The most surprising team award can be applied to those both good and bad, and last time it was given to West Ham after exceeding everybody’s expectations by a considerable distance.
This time around however, the review isn’t so glowing, as we focus on the overwhelming struggles that have befallen Everton this season. After a strong start under Rafael Benitez that saw the Toffees lose only once in their first seven games, the team suddenly imploded and lost 11 of their next 14, with Rafa being dismissed in mid-January. The appointment of Frank Lampard as manager did little to lift the team at first, but some improved form in April saw Everton escape the drop with just one game to spare.
An extremely close call for Everton, one they simply cannot afford to repeat.
A special mention…
Amidst all of the feel-good stories we’ve seen this season, few sights have united football fans more than seeing Danish superstar Christian Eriksen make his return to the pitch following his horrifying cardiac arrest at the European Championships last summer.
Having been refused permission to carry on playing in Serie A with Inter Milan, Eriksen made his return to football with Brentford in the new year, signing a short-term contract and making his first appearance in late February. Aside from the simple joy of seeing him back on the pitch, Eriksen was very impressive during his short spell with Brentford, scoring once and registering four assists in 11 appearances.
Let’s hope that Dane’s career revival will continue and that he maintains the level he was at before the incident, wherever his next steps take him.
