KDB wins PFA Player of the Year | UEFA Midfielder of the Year | UEFA Player of the Year (2nd)

I agree that KDB had a brilliant season that year, but the performance of the team isn't a function of who wins the award for best individual. A club's success is rewarded with the Premier League trophy because it signifies the team that performed the best. It doesn't by extension mean that the best performing player must have played for that team. In term of POTY, more winners have come from teams that haven't won the league than players that have. Suarez, Henry, Bale etc all won it when their team didn't win the PL because they were the most outstanding player.

In 2018/2019, VVD stood out. His defensive numbers were virtually flawless; he single handedly took a leaky Liverpool defence and made them the best defence in England. In that season, we had multiple great performers like Sterling, Bernardo, Kun, Dinho etc but our success was based on collective brilliance as opposed to Liverpool's because they would never had put up a title fight without VVD as we saw in the year prior. Us winning this domestic treble meant nothing because the award was for the best performer in the PL alone.

That's why this season it had to be KDB. He was simply THE outstanding player in the league. There was no peer and, as much as the media tried to push it with every inch they could, the players were never going to argue anyone deserved it more.
Your take is all way too subjective and feeds into a popularity contest mentality. Which it probably is but the justification for it isn't correct. Henderson didn't have a better season than KDB but the writers chose Henderson.
If you do it by goals or assist records being beaten or some truly significant achievement reached by a certain player(something based in fact), as I suggested then it does make a little more sense. When that's not the case though, the first port of call definitely should be to the team that was better than all the rest.

It doesn't by extension mean that the best performing player must have played for that team.

While this is true, as I said above, it should at least be the first place to look. Just to ask the question, did they have an outstanding player that made the difference? If yes, then that's your guy, if not then look elsewhere across the league. Winning the league with your team shouldn't exclude you from being considered. Claiming "this player was the most out standing" is not a reason it's a statement and normally one based on press hype. They influence so much and they have no love for City.

Liverpool's season was every bit as much of a collective as City's season was in 2018-19, so I'm not buying that argument one bit. They have two top young wing backs and a world class GK(they have formed a solid unit now), their front three all got mentions too. I can't even remember a time when Kompany even got a look-in for one of these awards and he's had some standout seasons and massive performances, same for Silva and Aguero. VVD is a great player for sure and he has improved their squad but the real reason he won it, was due the ongoing media darling treatment and their influence on the masses.

Happy to agree to disagree but I don't think this is the first season where City had the most outstanding player.
 
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Having read through the winners for the FWA and the PFA:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FWA_Footballer_of_the_Year

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFA_Players'_Player_of_the_Year

I actually realised I can't be paying enough attention to them, I thought VVD won the writers and the players one last year. Where Sterling somehow got the Young Player of the year award.

According to that though, it was Sterling who got the writers one. So we have one of each now?

That's getting there atleast.

4 FWAs mate, Revie, Trautmann, Book and Sterling
 
Your take is all way too objective and feeds into a popularity contest mentality. Which it probably is but the justification for it isn't correct. Henderson didn't have a better season than KDB but the writers chose Henderson.
If you do it by goals or assist records being beaten or some truly significant achievement reached by a certain player(something based in fact), as I suggested then it does make a little more sense. When that's not the case though, the first port of call definitely should be to the team that was better than all the rest.



While this is true, as I said above, it should at least be the first place to look. Just to ask the question, did they have an outstanding player that made the difference? If yes, then that's your guy, if not then look elsewhere across the league. Winning the league with your team shouldn't exclude you from being considered. Claiming "this player was the most out standing" is not a reason it's a statement and normally one based on press hype. They influence so much and they have no love for City.

Liverpool's season was every bit as much of a collective as City's season was in 2018-19, so I'm not buying that argument one bit. They have two top young wing backs and a world class GK(they have formed a solid unit now), their front three all got mentions too. I can't even remember a time when Kompany even got a look-in for one of these awards and he's had some standout seasons and massive performances, same for Silva and Aguero. VVD is a great player for sure and he has improved their squad but the real reason he won it, was due the ongoing media darling treatment and their influence on the masses.

Happy to agree to disagree but I don't think this is the first season where City had the most outstanding player.

But you're missing the fact that, statistically, VVD was without peer that season. He led in virtually every defensive stat; no players dribbled past him that season and he had the best aerial and ground duel percentage in the league. Liverpool's points per game with him in the side was 2.32 compared to 1.98 without him. I know the influence the media can have but this was an all-time great season from a CB hence winning multiple awards in Europe.

Moreover, your own criteria is faulty. The voting isn't done when the best team has been established; it's done weeks before. In the 18-19 season, it could have went either way between us and Liverpool. To that point, I still disagree with the criteria. The award for the best team is the title, you should not get extra credit because you played in a better team. The best individual can play in any side in the league, there is no go-to protocol. There is a natural bias to the best team yes but it's not a general rule. Hence why I didn't disagree with Suarez and Salah in prior years. it was annoying but the numbers they put up were up there with the best we've ever seen in the league.

This season it had to be KDB and, thankfully, it was. The FWA award is a joke and not prestigious, the fact they gave it to Henderson doesn't mean all that much to me.
 
But you're missing the fact that, statistically, VVD was without peer that season. He led in virtually every defensive stat; no players dribbled past him that season and he had the best aerial and ground duel percentage in the league. Liverpool's points per game with him in the side was 2.32 compared to 1.98 without him. I know the influence the media can have but this was an all-time great season from a CB hence winning multiple awards in Europe.
Where are you getting those stats from? I'd like to see just how tested that Liverpool defence was and make a fair comparison(percentages can be deceiving) to players who are asked to do a lot more. Either way, is 0.34 such a huge drop off in points? Nobody was debating he isn't their best defender, I'd actually put him as the best defender in the league too. So with that in mind, I'm actually surprised it's not a bigger drop-off. I'd imagine City's ppg drop-off without Laporte or Kompany, would be as big, if not bigger than that. "All-time great" was bit over the top(had to check I wasn't on RAWK for a second), because Liverpool's season was very much a collective, they suffocate teams with their press and their workhorse midfield. As good as he was, the system and the players around him were a large part of why Liverpool's defence was so good. Of course they are better with him in it, but that's not the discussion. Nor do I think the players who vote for it, will be looking at the in-depth stats, no where near that much thought goes into it IMO.

Moreover, your own criteria is faulty. The voting isn't done when the best team has been established; it's done weeks before. In the 18-19 season, it could have went either way between us and Liverpool.
That's a fair point, you would at least know what competitions a club is still in and their chances of winning though, and the impact certain players had on the season.

The award for the best team is the title,
That's nothing to do with the argument I made.
you should not get extra credit because you played in a better team.
Why is a team considered 'better' in the first place? Because it has better players more often than not and if one player stood out enough in that team, yes he definitely should be strongly considered for the best player in the league that season.
The best individual can play in any side in the league, there is no go-to protocol. There is a natural bias to the best team yes but it's not a general rule.
I didn't say that will always be the case that leagues standout player was in the winning team either, so you're arguing with a point I never made. It definitely shouldn't exclude you because you played in the best team though. This is an individual award but this is a team sport and always will be. It should matter how much their contributions counted for. Bernardo was that player for me, he was immense in the big games, especially how he ran the show against Liverpool which was a pivotal moment in the season.

This season it had to be KDB and, thankfully, it was. The FWA award is a joke and not prestigious, the fact they gave it to Henderson doesn't mean all that much to me.

Well I was talking about both and I still think it matters. Players having bias because they don't put too much thought into and let the media influence them is one thing but the writers are the ones supposedly taking a more considered approach.

You seem very pro Liverpool which is your call(each to their own, I can't stand them) but the suggestion that there was no other choice than VVD last season is just too much. I still don't agree with you, the "nobody has dribbled past VVD" hype was a bit of a gimmick in my opinion and not something that would sway me. Seems like a good place to leave it though, at least I can see what decided it for you.
 
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I am not expecting Kevin to win European player of the year. That imho will be given to Robert Lewandowski. Who scored over 50 goals over the whole of last season. That's where UEFA will give the European player of the year. Even I fit is by the journo's, they will give it to him.
 
Would love Kevin to get it but can't exactly argue if Lewandowski wins it.
 

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