PFA Players' Player Of The Year: Did Kante Deserve It?
On Sunday night, the Players' Player of the Year award for the 2016/2017 season was announced. In an award decided by each and every footballer plying their trade in the Premier League, it was N'Golo Kante who emerged victorious, fending off competition from Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez.
Although most viewers of the Premier League on a weekly basis would have noted Kante's imperious performances in almost every game he has featured in, the question must still be raised: did he deserve to win the trophy? Or did one of the other contenders have a better season than the Frenchman?
In this article, The Football Addick (@FootballAddick) ranks the six footballers that were nominated for the award in order of how they have performed, before revealing who he thinks should have won the PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2016/2017 season.
6) Zlatan Ibrahimovic
I'm not saying Zlatan had a poor season; far from it. At 35 years-old the legendary striker continues to excel and he has been able to silence his doubters with a fine first season in England.
However, I feel like he could have been even better. Although he may have saved United on numerous occasions this season with his goal-scoring prowess, his team have struggled to score goals at points this season and the argument could be raised that Zlatan has been to blame.
Despite scoring 17 goals in 28 games, Ibrahimovic has accumulated an alarming 18 big chances missed; 5 more than any other player. This could go a long way to explaining why United have drawn 12 games this season as they have struggled to break down defences; especially at Old Trafford.
Even more worryingly is that United have looked a lot better team in his absence. They look more free-flowing in attack and Rashford has benefited hugely from Zlatan's period out of the team.
Nevertheless, the Swedish striker has still had a good season and is deserving of being nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year. But it could have easily been even better.
5) Alexis Sanchez
Arsenal are having an extremely disappointing season to the extent that it could lead to Arsene Wenger's departure. But one of the few bright spots of their year has been the performances of their Chilean forward, Alexis Sanchez.
Despite his teammates performances tailing off after the turn of the year, Sanchez has continued to impress throughout and he has easily been Arsenal's player of the season.
The Chilean is having his most prolific year in the Premier League; with seven games to go he has scored 19 goals and recorded 9 assists; an astonishing tally for someone whom is not considered an out-and-out striker.
Sanchez may have had a terrific season, but with his team sitting in a lowly 7th place, this severely hinders the Chilean's bid for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. With his team looking out of sorts for much of the season, I would not be surprised if Sanchez departed the North London club this summer.
4) Harry Kane
Many thought that Harry Kane would be a one season wonder. That was three seasons ago. How wrong his doubters were.
Since breaking into the Tottenham first team three seasons ago, The English striker has gone from strength to strength and this has been the third consecutive season whereby the Tottenham man has broken the 20 goal mark.
Despite being missing for portions of the season, Kane has scored 20 goals in 24 games at an impressive 0.83 goals per game. He has been Tottenham's main man for a season and a big reason why they are flourishing has been the form of their talisman up front.
However, what harms his bid for the PFA Players' Player award was that when he was injured, Tottenham actually embarked on a very good run of form. They did not struggle for goals when he was missing, with Dele Alli and Heung Min Son in particular stepping up in his absence.
Nevertheless, Kane has been in exemplary form once again this season, and if Tottenham are to win the title than maybe he would feel hard done by having not won the Players' Player of the year award.
3) Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian striker has enjoyed a breakout season in the Premier League and has almost scored at will.
When he was 16 years-old, Lukaku was tipped to be the next big thing. A disappointing spell at Chelsea followed, and in recent years he has been a good but not spectacular Premier League striker.
Until this season.
The Belgian has been in scintillating form in front of goal, and he currently leads the top scorer charts with 24 goals from 33 games. That is four goals more than nearest challenger Harry Kane; making it extremely likely that he will win the golden boot.
Although he has had a prolific season, many have criticised his performances in big games. Despite his physical capabilities, many deem him to be no more than a goalscorer and believe he is not the complete striker he has the potential to be.
Nevertheless, he has still had a terrific season and will be duly rewarded with a big money move to one of the world's top clubs in the summer.
2) Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi in recent years. Although these claims are definitely exaggerated, this season the Belgian has returned to his best form and he is unlucky to have not been given the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
Collectively, Chelsea have been a tremendous team this year but time after time Hazard has been their brightest spark in attack.
He alone decides games and it is no surprise that his performances have coincided with Chelsea's fortunes. Last season, he was extremely poor and Chelsea struggled massively. This year, he has been superb and his team have been unstoppable.
In total, Hazard has scored 14 goals in 30 games, and looks set to enjoy his most prolific campaign in front of goal in a Chelsea shirt. He has also recorded a further 8 assists.
However, despite having a terrific personal season, Chelsea have been successful due to collective performances. As a result, this means that only one man truly deserves the award....
1) N'Golo Kante
Incredible. That is the only word to describe Kante's performances in the Premier League across the past two years. He is an astonishing player who truly deserved to pick up the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
If anything, Kante was underappreciated last year. Many believed Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy were the catalysts for Leicester's astonishing title winning season, and it was the former who was awarded the Player of the Year award.
But it should have been Kante.
This season he was rewarded with a big-money move to Chelsea, and he has completely transformed their fortunes. Last year they struggled massively as they could only muster an extremely poor 10th place finish. With Kante in the team, they look set to win the league and have also reached the final of the FA Cup.
The Frenchman may only be 5 foot 6, but despite his size he is a dominating presence on the field. His work rate in the middle of the park means he consistently wins the midfield battles, and he has thrived under the guidance of Antonio Conte. Despite only one goal and one assist, it is his contribution in defence which has been incredible.
The former Leicester man features in a number of categories: He's 5th for passes, 6th for touches, 2nd for tackles with 110 and 7th for interceptions with 72.
His contribution in both attack and defence is remarkable and he has established himself as one of the world's best midfielders. Kante is truly irreplaceable and he is a deserved winner of the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
Although most viewers of the Premier League on a weekly basis would have noted Kante's imperious performances in almost every game he has featured in, the question must still be raised: did he deserve to win the trophy? Or did one of the other contenders have a better season than the Frenchman?
In this article, The Football Addick (@FootballAddick) ranks the six footballers that were nominated for the award in order of how they have performed, before revealing who he thinks should have won the PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2016/2017 season.
6) Zlatan Ibrahimovic
 |
| 6) Zlatan has had a good season but could it have been better? |
I'm not saying Zlatan had a poor season; far from it. At 35 years-old the legendary striker continues to excel and he has been able to silence his doubters with a fine first season in England.
However, I feel like he could have been even better. Although he may have saved United on numerous occasions this season with his goal-scoring prowess, his team have struggled to score goals at points this season and the argument could be raised that Zlatan has been to blame.
Despite scoring 17 goals in 28 games, Ibrahimovic has accumulated an alarming 18 big chances missed; 5 more than any other player. This could go a long way to explaining why United have drawn 12 games this season as they have struggled to break down defences; especially at Old Trafford.
Even more worryingly is that United have looked a lot better team in his absence. They look more free-flowing in attack and Rashford has benefited hugely from Zlatan's period out of the team.
Nevertheless, the Swedish striker has still had a good season and is deserving of being nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year. But it could have easily been even better.
5) Alexis Sanchez
 |
| 5) Alexis Sanchez has been in good form this season despite his team's struggles |
Arsenal are having an extremely disappointing season to the extent that it could lead to Arsene Wenger's departure. But one of the few bright spots of their year has been the performances of their Chilean forward, Alexis Sanchez.
Despite his teammates performances tailing off after the turn of the year, Sanchez has continued to impress throughout and he has easily been Arsenal's player of the season.
The Chilean is having his most prolific year in the Premier League; with seven games to go he has scored 19 goals and recorded 9 assists; an astonishing tally for someone whom is not considered an out-and-out striker.
Sanchez may have had a terrific season, but with his team sitting in a lowly 7th place, this severely hinders the Chilean's bid for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. With his team looking out of sorts for much of the season, I would not be surprised if Sanchez departed the North London club this summer.
4) Harry Kane
 |
| 4) Harry Kane has been a major reason why Tottenham are flying high in second place |
Many thought that Harry Kane would be a one season wonder. That was three seasons ago. How wrong his doubters were.
Since breaking into the Tottenham first team three seasons ago, The English striker has gone from strength to strength and this has been the third consecutive season whereby the Tottenham man has broken the 20 goal mark.
Despite being missing for portions of the season, Kane has scored 20 goals in 24 games at an impressive 0.83 goals per game. He has been Tottenham's main man for a season and a big reason why they are flourishing has been the form of their talisman up front.
However, what harms his bid for the PFA Players' Player award was that when he was injured, Tottenham actually embarked on a very good run of form. They did not struggle for goals when he was missing, with Dele Alli and Heung Min Son in particular stepping up in his absence.
Nevertheless, Kane has been in exemplary form once again this season, and if Tottenham are to win the title than maybe he would feel hard done by having not won the Players' Player of the year award.
3) Romelu Lukaku
 |
| 3) Lukaku leads the race for the golden boot with 24 goals, 4 goals clear of his nearest challenger |
The Belgian striker has enjoyed a breakout season in the Premier League and has almost scored at will.
When he was 16 years-old, Lukaku was tipped to be the next big thing. A disappointing spell at Chelsea followed, and in recent years he has been a good but not spectacular Premier League striker.
Until this season.
The Belgian has been in scintillating form in front of goal, and he currently leads the top scorer charts with 24 goals from 33 games. That is four goals more than nearest challenger Harry Kane; making it extremely likely that he will win the golden boot.
Although he has had a prolific season, many have criticised his performances in big games. Despite his physical capabilities, many deem him to be no more than a goalscorer and believe he is not the complete striker he has the potential to be.
Nevertheless, he has still had a terrific season and will be duly rewarded with a big money move to one of the world's top clubs in the summer.
2) Eden Hazard
 |
| 2) Eden Hazard won the award in the 2014/2015 season but he fell just shy to N'Golo Kante this year |
Eden Hazard has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi in recent years. Although these claims are definitely exaggerated, this season the Belgian has returned to his best form and he is unlucky to have not been given the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
Collectively, Chelsea have been a tremendous team this year but time after time Hazard has been their brightest spark in attack.
He alone decides games and it is no surprise that his performances have coincided with Chelsea's fortunes. Last season, he was extremely poor and Chelsea struggled massively. This year, he has been superb and his team have been unstoppable.
In total, Hazard has scored 14 goals in 30 games, and looks set to enjoy his most prolific campaign in front of goal in a Chelsea shirt. He has also recorded a further 8 assists.
However, despite having a terrific personal season, Chelsea have been successful due to collective performances. As a result, this means that only one man truly deserves the award....
1) N'Golo Kante
 |
| 1) In my opinion, N'Golo Kante deserved to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award |
Incredible. That is the only word to describe Kante's performances in the Premier League across the past two years. He is an astonishing player who truly deserved to pick up the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
If anything, Kante was underappreciated last year. Many believed Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy were the catalysts for Leicester's astonishing title winning season, and it was the former who was awarded the Player of the Year award.
But it should have been Kante.
This season he was rewarded with a big-money move to Chelsea, and he has completely transformed their fortunes. Last year they struggled massively as they could only muster an extremely poor 10th place finish. With Kante in the team, they look set to win the league and have also reached the final of the FA Cup.
The Frenchman may only be 5 foot 6, but despite his size he is a dominating presence on the field. His work rate in the middle of the park means he consistently wins the midfield battles, and he has thrived under the guidance of Antonio Conte. Despite only one goal and one assist, it is his contribution in defence which has been incredible.
The former Leicester man features in a number of categories: He's 5th for passes, 6th for touches, 2nd for tackles with 110 and 7th for interceptions with 72.
His contribution in both attack and defence is remarkable and he has established himself as one of the world's best midfielders. Kante is truly irreplaceable and he is a deserved winner of the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
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