With 2019 drawing to a close, there has been plenty of highs and lows throughout English Football this year but just who has made our 2019 English Football XI?
From Manchester City’s domestic treble to a thrilling Women’s World Cup to Liverpool’s crowning as European kings, it has been one crazy year with several stand out players in every position.
Every position therefore had plenty of stand-outs players but our top XI ultimately brings together the best players who has stood out from the pack in a variety of ways.
Now without further ado, here is our Top English Football Team of 2019.
Goalkeeper
Embed from Getty ImagesAlisson (Liverpool)
This has been a particularly tough category because you could make a case for Karen Bardsley, Ederson and even Vicente Guaita but Alisson has just been exceptional for Liverpool.
Alisson has conceded just 30 goals in 43 appearances throughout 2019 which is incredible, given that he has appeared in four different competitions for the Reds and endured a two month side on the sidelines with a calf injury.
He has also produced just 96 saves which is an incredible achievement for any regular goalkeeper, whilst constantly improving in every other area to become a key player for Liverpool albeit aided by their excellent defence doing most of the defensive work.
I therefore felt that he was more deserving to be in my XI because he has shown progress throughout 2019, whereas Ederson has dropped him performance a bit this season but it could be down to the lack of defensive cover at Man City.
There hasn’t really been any keeper in the Women’s game who have stood out but if had to pick a standout performer, it would have to be Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and Sari van Veenendaal because they were both instrumental to Arsenal’s WSL triumph.
Alisson however has been unbelievable and there is very little opposition who could match him for performance this year.
Defence
Embed from Getty ImagesTrent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool), Steph Houghton (Manchester City Women), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
Defence was relatively easy because the three selected Liverpool players have all been stunning to watch throughout 2019, particularly Alexander-Arnold and Robertson who have terrorised flanks on a regular basis.
Alexander-Arnold also finished last season as the top Premier League defender in terms of assists, which is amazing for someone who was just 20 during last season and continuously improving as he demonstrated on Boxing Day in Liverpool’s thrashing of Leicester.
His best moment however had to be that corner kick during Liverpool’s comeback win over Barcelona at Anfield to reach the Champions League Final, which they went on to win and you can relive that corner below.
Robertson has also impressed with his partnership up the left flank with Sadio Mane, which has just been sublime to watch at times this season and made ignoring him a complete no-no because he belongs in this 2019 XI.
That meant that Lucy Bronze misses out despite producing a series of stunning performances for England Lionesses and for her club – Lyon, but the Liverpool duo have just been outstanding which made right-back a tough position to select.
Centre-back wise, Van Dijk has been amazing for Liverpool in every defensive area possible whilst outperforming his fellow Reds centre-backs, making his inclusion in the XI an easy decision.
Houghton meanwhile has been part of a shaky Lionesses defence this year but despite facing tough challenges off the pitch, she has just been a top quality defender on the field with the highest completed pass percentage out of all the regular Lionesses at the World Cup.
Ultimately what stood Houghton out from all the other defenders in the Women’s Super League, is her defensive ability to chase the ball whether in possession or not whilst keeping her cool under extreme pressure despite that unlucky late penalty save in the World Cup semi-final against eventual winners – USA.
Midfield
Embed from Getty ImagesBeth Mead (Arsenal Women), Jill Scott MBE (Manchester City Women), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Midfield was super tough because you have young talent like James Maddison and Mason Mount doing a fabulous job in the Premier League, whilst experienced veterans like Fara Williams have been outstanding for Reading Women.
My selection therefore is reflective of three players who have been exceptional this season for club and country, with Beth Mead a particular stand-out performer and the perfect player to start with.
Since she arrived at Arsenal, she has just grown into one of England’s most dangerous players with 11 goals and 14 assists for club and country in 2019 alone which not only highlights the progress in the Women’s game but also in her ability too.
One such highlight which underlined her prowess came at the start of England’s successful SheBelieves campaign, when she came on for Karen Carney and produced one of the goals of the year, which you can watch below.
Now moving onto Jill Scott, she might look like a surprise pick but what I have liked about her this season is that she has been consistent in central midfield for both club and country.
Scott might not score or create many goals but her movement and ability to control Manchester City Women’s midfield on a consistent basis has to be applauded, because City would probably be more vulnerable if they didn’t have a strong midfielder like her helping out both defensively and on the attack.
That is why I have selected her in my XI alongside Raheem Sterling because whilst Scott has been a main player in boosting the profile of Women’s Football, Sterling has been brilliant for City and England on the pitch whilst handling racism in a mature manner.
I however have chosen Sterling like Scott solely on their footballing performance over this year, because he has simply been incredible with 43 goals for club and country throughout this calendar year despite playing as a winger in many of those games.
Ultimately, what I have enjoyed about Sterling this year is his ability to link up with midfield when necessary to create those attacking opportunities for himself and fellow teammates, although he can play a little too hard at times as seen on a couple of occasions.
Forward
Embed from Getty ImagesJamie Vardy (Leicester), Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal Women), Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
2019 has been an excellent year for strikers with so many stand-out performances from Marcus Rashford to Neal Maupay but my selected three have been on a different level to the majority of their rivals.
Miedema was an obvious pick because she has been outstanding for Arsenal Women and Netherlands this calendar year, with 46 competitive goals in all competitions for club and country whilst creating ten assists for her teammates over the course of 2019.
Mane has also enjoyed similar success this season like Miedema with 21 goals in all competitions for Liverpool and Senegal, although he has been more of a goal maker in terms of his overall performance which has been key to the Reds’ success this year.
We must also acknowledge Mane’s partnership with Andrew Robertson because those two have been menacing up the left flank for Liverpool this year, underlining how fantastic a player Mane is in terms of playing the team game in playing various one-two moves with Robertson and the midfield.
As for Vardy, he might not spring to the minds of many people but he has been hugely influential for Leicester this year and is on course for this season’s Golden Boot in the Premier League.
What I like about Vardy this year is that unlike many strikers, he hasn’t been afraid to get stuck into the opposition and create chances for his teammates whilst scoring several himself, particularly from the counter-attack scenario which has been a huge strength of the Foxes this season.
Ultimately, what made these three strikers stand out for me is the fact that they have outperformed their fellow strikers all year for a multitude of reasons, and would make a fearsome front three in any XI.
Manager
Embed from Getty ImagesWith 75% of our Twitter vote to find the best manager of 2019, you voted Chris Wilder as your manager of 2019 which highlights just how brilliant a job he has done at Sheffield United.
We must start with the fact that he guided the Blades to automatic promotion with a stunning haul of 45 points in their last 21 games of 2018-19 season. having been seven points adrift of Championship leaders – Leeds United when the year started.
That was an incredible achievement and even more so when you consider that they had only just been promoted to that tier the previous season, especially because Wilder has just spent wisely in the transfer market whilst creating a solid brand of entertaining football.
He could of well changed all that up this summer to avoid an odds on Premier League relegation scrap but he didn’t, instead opting to recruit a mix of experience and youth in players like Phil Jagielka and Lys Mousset who have added extra quality to a strong squad.
The club’s form has also been impressive because they haven’t lost consecutive league games all year, whilst suffering just two away defeats throughout 2019 which underlines what an incredible job Wilder has done.
He also guided the Blades to fifth place at Xmas which is the highest position in which a promoted team has sat all decade on Xmas Day, meaning that Europa League football could well be a possibility if they continue to progress in 2020.
Ultimately, those various factors highlights many of the reasons as to why Wilder is your English Football manager of 2019, because the Blades simply wouldn’t be where they currently are without him and his passion.
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