5 players who deserved a spot in the 2015 / 2016 PFA Team of the Year
The PFA announced the Team of the Year last night and with almost no surprises in the squad, many felt a bunch of worthy players could have made the XI given their influence and contribution to the Premier League this season.
While Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N'Golo Kante and Toby Alderweireld seemed obvious choices, there are a bunch of players across the teams who fans would argue deserving of a spot. These players irrespective of position on the field have greatly helped their team to rise to respectable positions on the table.
Here are five players who should have been included in the PFA Team of the Year according to stats and their overall contribution to the game:
#5 Eric Dier
While it's almost impossible to replace N'Golo Kante from the defensive midfield position, Eric Dier did come close in plenty of aspects. The English international has been a mainstay in the Tottenham Hotspur midfield alongside Moussa Dembele and fellow star Dele Alli but when compared to the best in Kante, Dier does come ahead in a few aspects.
As a defensive midfielder, the number of interceptions you make could decide how your team counter-attacks and while Tottenham have been excellent with the likes of Cristian Eriksen and Harry Kane, Kante has miles ahead of Dier with 134 interceptions when compared to only 77 Dier has made.
The former Sporting Lisbon man, however, has been the better passer of the two having made 1483 successful passes when compared to only 1043 successful passes by Kante. Dier has also made 19 blocks as a midfielder this season, 8 more than Kante outlining why he could've been the PFA Team of the Year as well.