Top 50 Players of the Season: 10-1 – Chelsea, Manchester United & Tottenham stars take the top spots

At the Offside Rule Podcast, we’ve been voting for our Top 50 Players of the Premier League season since the latest campaign wrapped up just over a week ago. Over 20 people nominated 25 players, first place gaining 25 points, right down to 25th place getting a solitary 1 point and slowly the whole thing came together.

Here are the men that took our top 10 spots, including our 2015 winner…

10. Branislav IVANOVIC (Chelsea)
Points: 240

Starting off a relatively blue dominated top ten is the ever impressive and consistent Branislav Ivanovic. Given he’s a centre-back by trade, his performances on the right have been superb, regularly getting forward and even chipping in with several goals.

When he went on a mini scoring run early in 2015, it became a running joke that Ivanovic was Chelsea’s most lethal striker at a time where Diego Costa was struggling for form. Whilst John Terry and co so solid at the back, Ivanovic could go forward at will and could have bagged more than the four he managed.

9. Nemanja MATIC (Chelsea)
Points: 271

Whilst it was clearly a mistake for Chelsea to allow Matic to leave for peanuts to Benfica several years ago, bringing him back might be one of the best things they’ve ever done. Whilst new signings Costa and Fabregas will take the credit as being the difference, the Serbian was superb whilst the attackers did the business.

Matic consistently broke up opposition play, regularly got stuck in and generally did the dirty work which goes unnoticed unless you’re a true star. The fact Matic got deserved recognition for his role shows how well he performed during the campaign.

8. John TERRY (Chelsea)
Points: 310

Captain fantastic, at least to Chelsea fans. Whilst his personal image has taken several hits in recent years, there’s no denying Terry has been England’s loss and Chelsea’s gain. Whilst his form suffered (he was even dropped) whilst he was still on the international scene, Terry was sensational last season, playing every minute of every game.

Jose Mourinho claimed the 0-0 draw at Arsenal in April was Terry’s finest in a blue shirt, quite the praise given how long he’s been around. The even better news for Chelsea is they have a readymade replacement in the impressive Kurt Zouma.

7. Diego COSTA (Chelsea)
Points: 323

Staying with the Chelsea theme, Diego Costa scored the goals that ensured Chelsea claimed their fourth Premier League title. He was the missing cog in Jose Mourinho’s machine last season, and that point was hit home when he bullied Chelsea’s defence in last season’s Champions League semi-final whilst at Atletico Madrid.

After that, it was all too predictable he’d end up at Stamford Bridge, and he couldn’t have started any better. Whilst doing nothing spectacular, Costa always put himself in the right place and was the big difference which allowed Chelsea to pull clear of the chasing pack early on.

6. Cesc FABREGAS (Chelsea)
Points: 373

Despite the superb early season form of Alexis Sanchez and Angel Di Maria, Cesc Fabregas was putting in his own case for signing of the season. The Spaniard never really hit it off after moving back home to Barcelona, and when Arsenal didn’t come calling, Jose Mourinho was all too happy to bring him back to England.

He was an assist machine; it was almost robotic how he linked up with fellow Spaniard Diego Costa every week. 18 assists later and Fabregas can claim to be every bit as important in Chelsea’s success as Costa, Eden Hazard and John Terry. Whilst he stuttered a little after Christmas, his stats show just how important he was in 2014.

5. Sergio AGUERO (Manchester City)
Points: 424

The top scorer in the Premier League last season, yet he never got near any individual awards or even team of the year, partly thanks to the emergence of Harry Kane and the superb early season form of Diego Costa.

But, with 26 goals, there is no doubt Aguero is the best and most clinical striker in the Premier League at the moment. He can finish from every angle, score every kind of goal and drag his team through a game like no other. If he stays fit, he could easily hit 30 next campaign.

4. Alexis SANCHEZ (Arsenal)
Points: 457

You’d have to go a long way to find a more impressive signing. Whilst there may have been better value for money signings further down the league, Sanchez’s arrival at The Emirates was one that was unrivalled last summer.

Whilst fellow South American Angel Di Maria also shone early on, Sanchez kept up his form, showing his hard working, never say die attitude as Arsenal made a brief assault on the league title. With the Copa America looming, burnout may hit him next season, but he’s certainly one of Arsene Wenger’s more impressive recruits.

3. Harry KANE (Tottenham Hotspur)
Points: 503

The undisputed surprise of the season. Kane was a true cup player before the 2014/15 season kicked off. Whilst Roberto Soldado was still getting chances up front, Kane had to make do with Europa League appearances, where he did enough to convince Mauricio Pochettino about his talent.

Whilst people were still unconvinced despite a good goalscoring run, regular goals and an England call-up soon turned people into believing he was the real deal. Over 30 goals later, Kane has been excellent, but he needs to make sure he doesn’t suffer from second season syndrome.

2. David DE GEA (Manchester United)
Points: 506

At one stage a good bet to rival Hazard for Player of the Year at the PFA awards, a rare achievement for any goalkeeper and one De Gea didn’t quite manage.

But he was rewarded with the best save on Match of the Day for stopping Everton’s Bryan Oviedo back in Everton, and even grabbed second for his save from Mario Balotelli at Old Trafford in December. Two games that really defined De Gea’s season, but those two games were just the tip of the iceberg.

Rumours suggest he may not be at Old Trafford next season and he’d be a huge loss if United did lose him this summer.

1. Eden HAZARD (Chelsea)
Points: 575

He’s been the number one player of the season for pretty much everybody this year, and he’s no different here. The Chelsea star became a superstar this season, leading Jose Mourinho’s side to their fourth Premier League title.

Hazard was the key to almost everything good Chelsea did to win the Premier League. Whilst all eyes were the connection between new signings Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa at the start of the campaign, Hazard kept a low profile, coming to the fore when it really mattered.

You can view our picks from 50 down to 41 here.

You can view our picks from 40 down to 31 here.

You can view our picks from 30 down to 21 here.

You can view our picks from 20 down to 11 here.