Skiddle's open goal: A weekly roundup of football news and events
Here's our summary of each Premier League club's best and worst player this season.
Date published: 6th Jun 2023
We only have a couple of games left for English clubs this season, with both West Ham and Manchester City in European Cup final action. We thought now was the perfect time to take a look at who has been the hits and misses for each club in the Premier League this season to cap 22/23 off nicely.
Manchester City
For Manchester City, the majority of the squad is outstanding with Pep Guardiola having two strong starting 11's to choose from. One man has to take the crown for the best player and that is undoubtedly Erling Haaland, the signing of the season. Breaking records for fun, the baby-faced assassin has terrorised centre-backs and has already earned the status of Premier League legend.
On the flip side, one of a rare few City players who haven't lived up to the billing is Kalvin Phillips. This is mainly because we simply haven't really seen him. He has only made two starts, suffering from injury and being second fiddle to the imperious Rodri who surely won't be getting dropped any time soon.
Arsenal
Arsenal performed above expectations this season and at one point they were the favourites to scoop the league title but collapsed late on into the season amidst City pressure. We'll go with William Saliba as their best player this season, he had a strong partnership with Gabriel which saw them impressively shut out most opponents. His injury coincided with their drop-off in form and cost the Gunners.
It is incredibly difficult to pick a player who has had a poor season at Arsenal but we'll pick Rob Holding. He hasn't necessarily been terrible but you can see that he isn't at the required level to be at a title-challenging side.
Manchester United
If Manchester United recruit as smartly this summer as they did in the last then they will be pushing closer towards a title charge. Casemiro was the pick of the bunch when it came to new signings and his impact on the team is clearly seen in the team's stats. With him in the side they concede less and win more points per game, he still has all the class of a multiple Champions League winner.
It was a tough call between Sancho and Maguire for United's worst player but we'll go with the latter who has shown time and time again how error-prone he is. The highlight was a header straight into his own net against Sevilla as they crashed out of the Europa League.
Newcastle United
There's no understating how much of an impressive job Eddie Howe has done this season. Newcastle were expected to improve after being bought by a country but we didn't think it'd be this immediate. Not only have they brought in excellent new signings but the existing players have raised their level too.
Their player of the season should be Joelinton. He exemplifies everything that has been good about Newcastle over the last year, from having a tireless work rate to slotting perfectly into midfield, he has had a renaissance. There is literally only one choice for their worst player and that is Anthony Gordon. A staggering 40 million signing from Everton in January, he is undoubtedly overrated with very few goal contributions. He looks destined to become another Andros Townsend, journeying across the Premier League, a level he is lucky to be at.
Liverpool
A disappointing season for Liverpool that was dramatically improved by good form at the end, they have had a huge number of underperformers in their side. A rare highlight has been Alisson who has saved Liverpool so many points this season and has clearly been the best goalkeeper in the whole league. His level has not dropped at all.
In terms of those aforementioned underperformers, someone who the club should be seriously worried about is Joe Gomez. He has been an absolute disaster at every game he has played at centre-back, he gave two of the worst individual Champions League performances of all time against Napoli and Real Madrid. Who knows if he'll ever regain his confidence.
Brighton & Hove Albion
It was supposed to be all panic stations when Graham Potter left Brighton for Chelsea but De Zerbi has not only restored calm but actually made Brighton a better side. Two of their star performers have been Mac Allister and Caicedo in midfield, who have torn apart some of the biggest sides in the league this year. We'll go with Caicedo as their best player but he only narrowly pips the Argentinian.
They have a future gem in Evan Ferguson too. For their miss of the season, we'll pick Robert Sanchez who lost his place under De Zerbi as he was deemed not good enough with his feet to play in their new system.
Aston Villa
Unai Emery not only saved Aston Villa this season but helped to propel them to new heights. The player who benefitted the most from his appointment was Ollie Watkins who suddenly turned into one of the top marksmen in the league, playing perfectly off the shoulder of his opponents.
It has been a hugely disappointing season for Phillipe Coutinho who hasn't kicked on since his permanent signing at Villa. He doesn't seem capable of capturing the persistence of his time at Liverpool.
Tottenham Hotspur
There can only be one pick for the best player for Tottenham in what has been an absolute disaster of a season. Harry Kane is on track to be the record Premier League scorer and he has done all he can to push Spurs forward this season, bagging goals for fun and being a glowing light where his teammates have faded away.
Son has looked a shadow of himself and the team seems devoid of confidence. Richarlison is one of the worst signings in recent memory, being one of the most hated players in the league and only bagging one goal. He spends too much time on the floor than trying to score goals.
Brentford
Thomas Frank's side has impressed again this season by playing exciting, attacking football that has caused a few upsets. Ivan Tiney has stood out, being one of the top scorers in the league. He'll be sorely missed due to his betting ban which seems to focus on punishing rather than rehabilitation.
It is very difficult to spot who has been an underperformer for Brentford, if anything they're at least at the level expected of them. We'll go with Damsgaard, a signing who could do with adding more goal contributions to his game and more physicality.
Fulham
Marco Silva is another manager who has performed above expectations. Fulham have been far clear of their expectations of avoiding relegation and a huge part of that has been the form of Willian. Definitely not too old for the league he has been seriously impressive in his work rate and has caused serious problems for defenders.
Dan James has barely seen a start for the club since joining on loan and doesn't look like he's Premier League level despite being absolutely rapid, he doesn't have the required physicality.
Crystal Palace
Eberechi Eze has made a mark on the league this season. From his central midfield position, he has been absolutely gliding past players and advancing into dangerous positions that hurt the opponents. Palace have played good football at times this season and Eze is always a key part when they're at their flowing best.
Albert Sambi Lokonga's loan was a mistake as he failed to get a regular place in the team, which will be a worry for Arsenal as he wasn't able to further his development.
Chelsea
It has been hard to pick a standout player from what has been a calamity of a season from Chelsea. Todd Boehly's approach to splashing the cash has been a bit more naive than initially expected. When fit, Thiago Silva has still been one of the best centre-backs in the league, his positioning is phenomenal and it helps him make so many key blocks and interceptions.
The worst of a bad bunch is Mykhalio Mudryk who arrived with big expectations after a hugely expensive move from Shakhtar Donetsk, he has made little impact after much was made of his speed. He has been able to get around defenders but severely lacks a cool finish. If he improves he could be lethal though.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
It hasn't been a very encouraging season for Wolves fans. They had to be rescued by Lopetegui but there's now FFP lingering over their heads. At least they've had one ever-present in the performances of Jose Sa, an incredibly reliable goalkeeper who they should be keen to keep hold of.
Great things were expected of Matheus Nunes but he hasn't been the creative spark that Wolves needed, we have seen very little of his talent.
West Ham United
West Ham looked to be in danger this season but stuck with Moyes and he got them to safety. This was another season where we saw the talent of Declan Rice. His clear leadership and ability to break up opposition attacks as well as grab the odd goal makes him a key part of this West Ham team.
They misfired in the transfer market with the signing of Gianluca Scamacca, he apparently doesn't suit the style of David Moyes so it was a strange decision to buy him in the first place.
AFC Bournemouth
After a poor start to the season, Bournemouth eventually turned things around and in the end were fairly comfortable compared to their rivals below. Phillip Billing has been the star of the season as everything has gone through him in the midfield. He's added plenty of goals to his game too in crucial points of the season.
In terms of disappointments, Keiffer Moore has failed to really challenge Dominic Solanke for a starting role but they haven't really had any prolific scorers in the league this season.
Nottingham Forest
There's only one real contender here and that is Morgan Gibbs-White. He has been a star for Forest this season and at times it has seemed like his personal mission to ensure the club survives. He has a great partnership with Brennan Johnson and will be the name who they should build the team around this summer.
In a season where they signed a stupid amount of players, Jesse Lingard has been the worst signing out of anyone this season. He had a good six months with West Ham and was conveniently at Manchester United when they won a couple of trophies but he is not a Premier League player and frequently looks out of his depth, too focussed on his personal brand to learn how to kick a ball. Thankfully for Forest fans, he has been released.
Everton
Surviving on the last day, Everton were incredibly lucky to survive. We'll pick Tarkowski as the best of a terrible squad with the defender having the most blocks of anyone in the league, throwing his body in the way in the hopes of securing any points at all.
Almost everyone is a contender for Everton's worst player of the season, but we'll pick Tom Davies, an absolute waste of space who has been sitting on the bench all season (again) and sometimes wasn't even trusted to be in the matchday squad, it'll be very interesting to see where he goes now that his contract has expired, it won't be a Premier League club.
Leicester City
The big shock of the season is that Leicester have gone down. It's a real fall from grace for the club but at least they had James Maddison still giving his all for the club. He registered 10 goals for the club and was a cut above his teammates, he'll be getting a big move this summer.
Liverpool fans will fondly remember Wout Faes who scored an embarrassing double of own goals at Anfield and it summed up his season really, too rash in his decision-making and very error prone which led to constant gaps in their defence.
Leeds United
Leeds looked like a relegated side for the majority of the season. Most of their squad is Championship quality at best and it is baffling that they never fixed the glaring red flags in their defence over the summer. Tyler Adams can hold his head high though, he was crucial to leeds winning games and was a tough battler all season, but his injury seemed to consign Leeds to the drop.
Junior Firpo summed up everything wrong as the club, a haphazard defender that could have moments of joy but would quickly make a horrendous error afterwards. A defender who can't defend, he is a constant red card in waiting and has little footballing intelligence.
Southampton
The first side to get relegated, Southampton have flirted with relegation in recent seasons and now their fate is sealed. Ward-Prowse is obviously their star man, able to score free-kicks for fun and show real leadership as captain of the team, he'll be in demand during the transfer window.
None of the other players have impressed but surely more was expected of the arrival of Joe Aribo who has just failed to make any sort of imprint whatsoever.
Find our final roundup of footy events below...
When: Sunday 11th June
Where: Scholars Bar, Scarborough
The Scarborough Whites are throwing their annual end-of-season get-together and they'll be bringing Leeds legend Brian Deane down for the afternoon where he'll be talking about his career. He is heavily involved in Leeds' history as well as clubs such as Benfica and Middlesborough.
Europa Conference League Final 2023- Live Screening
When: Wednesday 7th June
Where: Vauxhall Food and Beer Garden, London
It is time for West Ham fans to get excited as their club could be about to lift European silverware. Their European campaign has been a lot more successful than their league form and they will face Fiorentina in the Conference League final. Get down to this screening if you're a Hammers fan.
Champions League Final Live Screening
When: Saturday 10th June
Where: Off The Square, Manchester
Inter Milan has the daunting task of playing Manchester City in this year's Champions League final. City are the clear favourites and fans of the blue side of Manchester can gather at this screening to cheer their team on to victory. Surely Erling Haaland will grab a goal?
Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.
