Gareth Bale
Winner of this award back in 2011, it has been another
whirlwind season for the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder. He has so far
contributed to Spurs push for a top 4 finish with 18 goals in the Premier
League alone. He had a fairly quiet start to the season and it took till the middle
of September for him to grab his first goal of the season in Spurs 3-1 away win
at Reading. A couple of weeks later however he played a big part in the team’s
3-2 away victory at Manchester United. While that was arguably their biggest
win during the first half of the season, it was coupled with some big defeats
in October and November to London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal. Bale ended 2012
on a high though scoring a hat-trick at Villa Park in Spurs 4-0 demolition of
Aston Villa on Boxing Day and the team finished the year sitting in 3rd place
in the table.
2013 would prove to be even better for the Welshman. At the
end of January, Bale went on a 5 game scoring run in the Premier League,
netting against Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United, West Ham
United and Arsenal. He managed a brace in the games against The Magpies and The
Hammers leaving him with 7 goals from the 5 games. His second goal against West
Ham is considered a goal of the season contender by many after his 25-yard shot
found the top corner in the last minute of the game to win all 3 points for his
side. This impressive form also led to him winning the Player of the Month
award for February as well. Bales goals and contributions were also part of
what was a 12 game unbeaten run in the Premier League that started with their
1-0 win at home to Swansea in mid-December and ended with their 3-2 loss to
Liverpool at Anfield just over a month ago. An injury at the start of the month
ruled him out for a couple of games but he returned with a bang yesterday as he
helped his side pick up a vital 3-1 win over Manchester City at White Hart Lane
and leave his side in 5th place but only 2 points behind 3rd placed Arsenal
with a game in hand over the Gunners.
To say Tottenham are a one man team would be disrespectful
to the other players in the squad, but you can’t deny that whenever they have
been in desperate need of a goal this season, Gareth Bale has been there to
provide them with it. He is a valuable asset to Spurs and has even had
well-known pundits drawing comparisons between him and some of the best players
in the world such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi due to his work rate
and his contributions to the team. It is clear for all to see that his
teammates love playing with him and opposing teams can’t stand playing against
him. Regardless of where Tottenham finish in the league this season, Gareth
Bale’s efforts will not be forgotten and give him a great chance of winning the
award this year.
Michael Carrick
A surprising choice to some, but a deserved choice to
others, Michael Carrick has been almost ever-present in Manchester United’s
Premier League campaign playing in his trademark central midfield role and
playing a key part in what has been a very successful season for The Red Devils
who are now on the verge of reclaiming the Premier League title.
While Carrick’s name cannot be seen at the top of scorers
and assists charts this season, that doesn’t mean for one second that he hasn’t
had a productive season. He has featured in 32 of United’s 33 league games this
year with his only absence coming in their 3-1 win at home to Queens Park
Rangers back in November. The 31 year old has played a key part in the midfield
for United mainly by doing the hard work such as winning the ball back off the
opposition and then playing it to more creative teammates who will be able to
create a scoring opportunity for them or quite often another teammate. The
latter obviously means no assist goes to Carrick in the stats table, but the
nomination for this award shows that finally, the hard work is paying off.
Carrick’s style of play has made it tough for attacking opposition players and
is reflected by the 11 clean sheets United have kept when he has been in the
side.
The season as a whole has been good for Michael Carrick and
this past month in particular has also been extra special for the Englishman
and it could well be even more special before the awards ceremony this Sunday.
A Man of the Match display away at Sunderland and a goal at the Britannia
Stadium against Stoke as well as the chance to win the league title tonight
against Aston Villa means regardless of whether or not Carrick wins the Player
of the Year award, he will have enjoyed a great end to the season. I have to
admit that I don’t consider him to be one of the favourites to win the award,
but at least the nomination shows that his hard work for the team has not gone
unnoticed.
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard was one of the most talked about players in
world football this time last season with people wondering where his next move
would be after he left Lille OSC in France. In May last year, the Belgian
midfielder revealed on Twitter that he would be signing for Chelsea and the
move was confirmed by the club a week later for a reported €32 million. Hazard
made a good first impression in his Premier League debut in a 2-0 win away at
Wigan Athletic by setting up his the first goal for his side and winning them a
penalty for the second. His first goal for the club came a week later in a 2-0
home win against Newcastle.
After that win, Chelsea sat at the top of the Premier League
table until the start of November when their form began to take a turn for the
worse. By the start of December, they had fallen 10 points behind Manchester
United and any chance of winning the title was all but gone by then. Hazard
continues to contribute goals and assists to at least ensure that the team will
still continue to push for a top 4 finish.
As it stands, the 22 year old currently has 9 goals and 9
assists in the Premier League this season, his most recent strike coming in
yesterdays 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. He has been a regular starter
for The Blues this season and has always been one of their most consistent
performers. One of his best performances in a Blue shirt came just as recently
as last month when he assisted the first goal and scored the second in a 2-0
win against West Ham at Stamford Bridge and showing everyone watching exactly
what he is capable of doing. I believe his consistency is what has led to him
being nominated for this prestigious award. However, when I compare his season
with Chelsea teammate and fellow nominee Juan Mata, I can’t help but feel that
the Spaniard has probably had the better season of the two and thus makes him
stand a better chance of winning the award. But at only 22 years of age, the
only way is surely up for Eden Hazard and if this time next season he can
better his accomplishments of this season, the next Player of the Year award may
very well be his.
Andrew.
https://twitter.com/ADNU92
Andrew.
https://twitter.com/ADNU92
No comments:
Post a Comment