With 2020 drawing to a close, it is time to once again pick out stand-out stars as part of our 2020 XI from across both men and women’s English game.
This season though has been tougher than any other year due to the Coronavirus pandemic plus external factors causing mixed changes within teams.
I have therefore struggled slightly more with this year’s XI than any other XI selections but with three retained stars amongst nine quality names and Manager, here is Sport Grill’s 2020 Top XI of English Football plus full details on selection below.
Manager – Casey Stoney MBE (Manchester United Women)
Goalkeeper
Unlike 2019, there is really only one stand-out performer who deserves the goalkeeper spot in this XI and it is Burnley’s Nick Pope because he has been just a joy to watch throughout a rough year.
There isn’t really one stand-out quality about Pope this year because from fingertip saves to sweeper clearances and his high claims, he was simply been absolutely on the pulse in terms of reading the opposition most weeks.
Pope however does have a solid tight Clarets defence which often helps to create opportunities for him to find himself in positions to make those incredible saves and to also do it on a consistent basis in a mid-table team is a real credit to Pope.
I must also mention Everton Women’s Sandy Maclver because since the women’s game resumed, she has been very impressive for her young age despite making small errors of which she will learn from and grow into a world-class keeper.
Defence
2020 hasn’t exactly been a golden year defensively with a mixture of terrible defending and injuries, which made this section the most hardest to pick apart but I have decided on four quality players who deserve to be in my 2020 XI across English Football.
Starting at Right-Back, I have gone for Trent Alexander-Arnold who is again named in my XI for a second year running.
Alexander-Arnold might not of had a fine second-half of 2020 but given the impact of Coronavirus and need for player management in fixtures, he has been very consistent in terms of his performance even when his teammates have let their form slide at times.
Ultimately though, what made me reselect Alexander-Arnold is the fact that there has really been no real better right-back who can be just as creative consistently despite the increased fixture congestion from a hard range of choice.
Lucy Bronze however was an obvious choice at left-back despite naturally being a right-back because she is so versatile and currently playing some of her best football in terms of energy and passion on the pitch.
We shouldn’t also forget that she helped Lyon to three titles including her third Women’s Champions League medal to become the most decorated English player in European competition, before returning to help Manchester City to a third Women’s FA Cup in November and has settled back at City well.
Alexander-Arnold and Bronze therefore compliment one another well in this 2020 XI because if look further up the pitch, I have gone for creative goal-scoring players and they would also benefit the overall style as I will explain later.
Selecting a centre-back pairing though was incredibly tough because there hasn’t exactly been any centre-backs this year which consistently impressed, which is a real worry but I have selected two strong all-round central defenders.
First up is Harry Maguire because if want a robust centre-back who can defend, create chances and provide an aerial threat both defensively and attacking, it is the Manchester Utd captain because he has been quite consistent despite Utd’s defensive woes at various points in 2020.
Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Ashleigh Neville meanwhile was the most consistent in the women’s game in terms of her tackling and interceptions because this has overall been a disappointing year across both men and women’s defensive game with most female defenders failing to top their defensive stats.
Midfield
2020 has been a stunning year in terms of midfield performances from James Maddison to Jill Roord and Jack Grealish, but my selection have all shone brightly above their rivals to earn their spot in the XI.
PFA Player of the Year, Kevin De Bruyne is first in the team because he has been absolutely exceptional for Man City this season in all aspects.
De Bruyne might of only netted 11 goals throughout this calendar year but what made me plump for him in this XI is his ability on and off the ball in terms of defensive tracking and then carving open opportunities for teammates in a variety of creative ways.
Now that is the kind of midfielder that every team needs because even when he doesn’t have possession and City are on the attack, he is also constantly striving forward to create that space to pick up balls and put them into the box on top of his pace and superb set piece abilities.
Samantha Mewis meanwhile is the second Man City player on the list because since joining from USA’s NWSL for City’s Women team, she has adapted brilliantly to the English game to her credit with six goals in 13 appearances.
Now for an American player, that is quite unheard of in this current era with only Carli Lloyd enjoying similar success in her short stint with City in 2017, whereas Mewis is only halfway through this season and set to enjoy more success.
Ultimately, what I liked about Mewis is not just how she comfortably adapted to the English game but also evolved her midfield style to become more creative whilst retaining her core qualities which are similar to De Bruyne but more confident in fighting to win possession back.
We must note that Mewis is also City’s highest scoring midfielder in the WSL this season which just highlights how much of an impact she has had upon the Citizens in just a few months.
Finally, Bruno Fernandes is our last midfielder and it would of been stupid to not name the Portuguese in this XI after his year since arriving from Utd in January, with 25 goals in 42 appearances.
There is very little to say compared to Mewis because they’ve both come and absolutely established themselves at their clubs as if they had always been there.
Focusing now specifically on Fernandes, he has brought a whole new firepower to Utd’s unpredictable team in terms of his creativity, whilst also providing serious threat on the penalty kick front with 14 of his 25 goals coming from spot-kicks.
That is simply an incredible impact at one club within a calendar year and a midfield XI of Fernandes, De Bruyne and Mewis would be a force to be reckoned with based on 2020 form.
Forwards
With matches behind-closed-doors, we have seen a contrast in striker performances but Vivianne Miedema and Jamie Vardy have once again retained their spots alongside our XI newcomer, Leah Galton who has been quietly impressive for Man Utd.
Miedema once again features on the list because although she has only scored 19 goals for Arsenal and Netherlands, we must consider the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic for 2020 because she has nevertheless been brilliant and first to win WSL Golden Boot for a second consecutive season.
Miedema also has really developed her teamplay this season because we haven’t seen her consistently scoring but instead working deeper to help her teammates, which is quite key this season given the fixture congestion and injury loads that has affected Arsenal this year.
Vardy hasn’t exactly been prolific in 2020 with just 19 goals but unlike most Premier League strikers who often prefer to try and play on the attacking lines, Vardy has instead often dropped deep to selflessly help out his teammates which very admirable when he is their primary striker.
Add in the fact that he had endured various goal droughts in second half of last season yet survived late challenges from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Danny Ings to clinch the Golden Boot, it shows just how brilliant Vardy has been when he is firing on all cylinders.
Man Utd Women’s Galton might seem like a surprise choice when it is easy to go for someone like Aubameyang and Ings, but despite only scoring seven goals this year she has been a constant presence for Utd has was a late pick for this XI.
I have been particularly been impressed by Galton’s recent performances because despite being a striker and in her prime years, she has often not been afraid to drop into midfield and contribute to creating opportunities for her teammate which is evidently paying dividends with goals herself lately.
On that note, Galton therefore edges it for me compared to bigger names when thinking about this XI like it’s a hypothetical actual XI, because her and Vardy add extra creativity than most other strikers have done this year in my opinion.
Manager
Given how tumultuous a year 2020 has been, it is easy to plump for Jurgen Klopp, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Brendan Rogers as the top manager but I have gone for someone entirely different that deserves more credit than is currently given.
Since the turn of this decade, she has lost just one of 15 league games in which her team scored in 14 of those matches and has put Manchester United Women top of the WSL for Xmas after curtailing last season over ten points behind the ‘Big Three’ in fourth by virtue of points-per-game basis.
Casey Stoney MBE is therefore my top manager of 2020 because she has instilled a brilliant winning mentality into her Red Devils with attacking play despite being a first-time Manager, which was evident in their fightback to draw 2-2 against Man City in November’s Manchester Derby.
Stoney therefore deserves more credit than she perhaps has because Chelsea possess two games in hand, yet she has managed to put Man Utd at the WSL summit for Xmas and in a title fight just three seasons after the club formed which is an incredible achievement for both Stoney and Man Utd.
Now if we look at my top 2020 XI and Stoney as a whole, it is clear that all the players and Stoney herself would make a hypothetically brilliant XI with attacking football and winning mentality in most players.
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