Arsenal dominate PFA Team of the Year with 5 players included
There were no individual honours for Arsenal’s stars at the 2024 PFA Awards on Tuesday night, but five players were included in the PFA Team of the Year.
The Gunners improved upon an upstart title challenge in 2022/23 and recorded their biggest Premier League points haul since the Invincibles campaign of 2003/04 last season. 89 points were not enough to usurp Manchester City, who notched 91 on their way to a fourth-straight title.
Amid their stellar campaign, Arsenal scored 91 times while conceding just 29, the second-best and best records in the division respectively.
Thus, it was no surprise that they were so well represented in PFA’s 2023/24 Team of the Year.
Golden Glove winner David Raya, who recorded 16 clean sheets, along with fellow defenders William Saliba and Gabriel were justified inclusions given Arsenal’s stout defensive record. Saliba didn’t miss a single minute in the Premier League, while Gabriel enjoyed the best campaign of his senior career after being left out of Mikel Arteta’s starting XI amid transfer speculation at the start of the season.
The PFA went a little Garth Crooks by cramming three centre-backs into a four-man defence, but I supposed that is the tactical rage of the day.
£105m arrival Declan Rice proved to be everything Arsenal supporters believed he would be in year one, and the Englishman even added another string to his bow with his set-piece delivery. Martin Odegaard couldn’t match his 2022/23 output, but his influence during the second half of the season was undeniable.
Bukayo Saka’s omission may seem harsh, but it’s hard to argue against the inclusions of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, whose goal contributions fired Villa into the Champions League, as well as Manchester City duo Erling Haaland and Phil Foden. Haaland claimed Golden Boot honours for the second consecutive season, while Foden was named PFA Player of the Year on Tuesday.
PFA Young Player of the Year Cole Palmer was another sub from the TOTY.
So, while Arsenal had five TOTY inclusions, City had a mere four. You can have your Premier League titles, fellas. This is the real quiz.
