UEFA Season Review 8/10.
Top 5 leagues, third-placed everything.
The season 2020–21 finished in all top five leagues, and it is, I believe, my duty, to reflect upon it. Today, we shall decide on everything in the third place, the team, player, Manager, forward, midfielder, surprise team, and surprise player.
Let us Begin.
Best Team #3
Inter Milan
The champions of Serie A, ahead of Juventus, and the first to do that since 2011. That is one whole decade, and to think that AC Milan have seven Champions Leagues and Inter won the treble in 2010, it is wild that Juve has been able to keep this streak going. However, there were signs in the last few seasons, of them slowing down, and it has culminated in them finishing fourth this season.
Now that we have established the significance of their achievement, is their placement not generous? I mean, they weren’t the best side in Europe for even a minute, they finished last in their Champions League group and even lost to Juventus, who were significantly flawed throughout the season.
The answer is no. At least from my perspective. I believe they have been absolutely dominant in Serie A ever since the start of this year, and even a few games before that. They lost only two games in all of 2021 Serie A. Finished with 91 points, which is the highest in the top 5 leagues, scored 89 goals in the league alone, which is the third-highest in the top 5 leagues. Pretty impressive stuff. They also have a certain fluidity that very few Italian champions have. Not Juventus, not Milan, this Inter side has that attacking edge that is needed for the making of a convincing side.
Best Player #3
Phil Foden
I told you, there is a city player coming, and most would have guessed correctly. Foden has been consistent, and much more consistent than players his age usually are. He was a talent in 2017–18. He has grown, and grown, and is finally, in my opinion, near his peak and I can smell a Euro win for England with him playing the role that Iniesta played for Spain in 2008–12.
Phil Foden’s best game came against Liverpool, when City dismantled them 4–1. He scored and assisted in that game, and was by far the most creative player on the pitch. In total, he contributed directly in 24 goals this season. He is a midfielder, but this number does not surprise me and nor should it surprise anyone who saw City function this season. Foden played in several different positions, but most of them were in attack, on the wings, or an advanced midfielder. His versatility was crucial to City’s success this season, and I hope this continues because I like how he plays, maybe because he plays as Pep tells him, but I like it nevertheless.
Best forward #3
Harry Kane
I made no secret of my recent admiration of Harry Kane in yesterday’s post, and that is still true, but I want to highlight another aspect of Harry Kane today, in loyalty. He could have moved anywhere he wanted. Most clubs have strikers worse than Kane, and would have loved to have him. He, however, decided to give Tottenham chance, after chance and is still in the white side of London (to people not well versed with London’s footballing landscape, no, this is not a racial slur). I respect that, especially because they treated him very badly in his worst years. It is a move that will certainly happen someday, but for now, he has served the club aptly.
Also, he had 37 goal contributions in Premier League alone, which is the best in the league.
Best Midfielder #3
Bruno Fernandes
Now, I feel very bad for Kante, putting Bruno over him was a decision I made because I thought the favourites for European club finals do not screw up, but they did, both of them. That means Kante is deserving of this place more than Bruno, but let us focus on Bruno for a minute.
He is being criticised for being ‘absent’ in the big games this season. He certainly was against Chelsea. However, he has stepped up numerous times for United this term. He has been the best player in the red devils’ squad and they have been the third best team in Premier League. I do not think that he has been the best player on the planet or anything, but I certainly feel that he has been criticised more than he deserves.
He was the highest scoring and second highest assisting midfielder in the Premier League and came agonisingly close to winning the Europa League.
Best Manager #3
Antonio Conte
Conte has been simply exceptional this season. He got the best out of Lukaku and Martinez, led Inter to the trophy and built a driven, solid and creative force that would surely have competed for the highest of titles, had he not left the job. That is tragic, isn’t it?
Anyway, I like his brand of football. Not more than Pep’s, but it is, in my opinion, more practical. His teams know how to knock the ball around and create chance after and chance, but also to soak pressure and come out with a narrow win if required. That is obviously the thing every coach who hasn’t developed his style tells his players, but very rarely do teams come along that really embody that. Liverpool and Sevilla are two that strike as similar, but this season, none of them was better than Inter, and the manager, Antonio Conte deserves all the praise he gets, and more.
Surprise Player #3
Patrick Bamford
Nobody expected him to do this good in the Premier League. He is the second Leeds player on this list, because they themselves were a big surprise. Bamford was by far the best player in their ranks, and he was consistent almost all season, if we leave out the few months at the start of 2021.
Scored a respectable 17 goals and assisted a further 7. Brilliant stuff, innit?
Surprise Team #3
AC Milan
Both Milan teams feature today, and I am loving this. revival of the great footballing city that Milan once was, and aspires to return to. Milan finished second in the league, which is impressive, given the fact they finished sixth last year and had not finished as high as second since 2012. That period must have felt long, strenuous and disgraceful.
But, they’re back! Well, kind of. Not that just finishing second is not impressive, but the way they play, while not stale, is not particularly organised, which was Milan’s speciality. They have been playing well, but not what I would have expected from a team finishing above Atalanta and Juventus. And, if they keep playing this way, they might fall back. They need someone better than Pioli, and now that Allegri is back at Juventus and Mourinho is with Roma, I would guess it would be even harder to finish in the top four. I just wish they do, though.
This is an opinion, and let me know yours in the comments! Not included defenders and goalkeepers because I found them very hard to rank. I felt I shouldn’t rank them at all. If you want to let me know your rankings of the same, again, let me know in the comments.
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That’s it then!
