2023-24 English Football XI

With the 2023-24 English football season now over, it is time to reflect on the stand-out stars in this season’s English Football XI.

From one team winning a record four consecutive titles to a shock promotion and a set of promoted teams all suffering relegation, this season has certainly delivered plenty of thrills and lows plus a maiden promotion into the EFL for Bromley.

Now it is time to reflect on a brilliant season as we round up 11 of the best players plus manager in this 2023-24 English Football XI.

 

Goalkeeper

Amidst various impressive goalkeeping displays this season from Jordan Pickford to Andre Onana and Khiara Keating to name a few, Arsenal loanee – David Raya has certainly stood out in the pack with a series of strong performances for the Premier League runners-up.

Considering that he faced a tough task to displace Aaron Ramsdale when he arrived from Brentford, Raya seamlessly showed his quality to quickly establish himself as the top goalkeeper which was justified by 20 clean sheets in all competitions.

His saves percentage also underlines his impressive consistency with just two poor performances in 43 appearances, which really is a reflection of his overall performances within Arsenal’s wider improvement as  team with more clean sheets than any other team.

His future though lies in Arsenal’s hands because they now need to agree a permanent transfer deal with Brentford, although he has done enough to earn a big-money switch to a top club this summer on merit even if it isn’t to Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.

 

Defence

In a season which saw the emergence of young defensive talent like Liverpool’s Conor Bradley and Chelsea’s Alfie Gilchrist, there were plenty of strong defensive performances from consistent players like Brighton’s Lewis Dunk and Fabian Schar.

Turning to the right-back position, Tottenham’s Pedro Porro has quietly stood out on a regular basis to me for his work-rate and ability to influence Spurs’ attacking play which has shown with four goals and seven assists plus cool temperament unlike his defensive teammates.

Porro even managed more shots than any other defender in the league this season which shows just how excellent he has been at right-back for Spurs from both a defensive and attacking perspective, especially compared to rival fullbacks.

Across on the left, Luton’s Alfie Doughty has like Porro delivered consistency from both a defensive and attacking perspective underlined by his three goals and eight assists plus was the Premier League’s most-prolific cross-maker in his first top-flight season as a player.

Whilst on the theme of consistency, there is no consistent defender than Tottenham Women’s Ashleigh Neville, who has again been reliable and consistent defensively, but she has this season added a solid attacking edge especially when it comes to progressive play.

James Tarkowski rounds out the defence after an underrated if resilient season for Everton where he has been all-round consistent in his defensive game, topping the league’s blocks and successful aerial battles statistics in a simply impressive campaign despite the Toffees’ leaky defence.

 

Midfield

This season has seen plenty of excellent midfield performances across English football especially on the men’s side, with Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Plymouth’s Morgan Whittaker amongst those to marginally miss out on a spot in this XI.

Arsenal’s British record signing, Declan Rice ultimately was the first midfielder to secure their spot in this XI because he has simply been excellent from both a defensive and attacking perspective – even if his seven goals and nine assists isn’t as strong as other midfielders on my initial longlist.

Manchester City’s Rodri meanwhile has been equally impressive in that central midfield role to earn his spot in this XI, with the Spaniard putting in consistent performances akin to Rice both defensively and attacking wise – underlined by him topping City’s tackles chart.

Rodri’s presence also proved key to City’s title success with the Cityzens not losing a single game that he played in all season, whilst his 8 goals and 13 assists further showcased his importance across the season especially in midfield.

Kevin De Bruyne spent the first half of the season sidelined with a hamstring injury for City but since he returned to action in January, he still managed to show his usual attacking flair and play-making quality with 6 goals and 18 assists in just 26 appearances in all competitions.

Those stats alone shows just the impact that De Bruyne can have when he is fit and playing at his best, although there have been games where he has made minimal impact so you have to wonder if this might be his last season at his peak levels as he approaches 33 years-old.

 

Forward

Although there has been plenty of stand-out attacking performances this season, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has been a class act above the rest with 25 goals and 15 assists, whilst displaying excellent agility and creativity when attacking with the ball at his feet.

We also shouldn’t forget that Palmer had joined Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues last summer from Man City – where he scored twice at the start of this season, yet he managed to adapt quickly and maintain that initial early-season form at City despite his change of clubs which can often be a tough ask.

Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins is another player who has enjoyed his most impressive season yet with 27 goals and 13 assists, which demonstrated just how valuable he is both in terms of scoring but creating goals in what has been his most clinical season yet.

Although honourable mentions have to go to Southampton’s Adam Armstrong and Man City’s Erling Haaland plus City Women’s Khadija Shaw, there is no way that Phil Foden could be left out such has been his exceptional form this season.

From his physicality and movement to end product, Foden has simply been sensational to watch with 27 goals and 12 goals for City whilst demonstrating his positional versatility – particularly in the central attacking midfielder role where he has made the most impact.

 

Manager

There has certainly been no shortage of managerial contenders this season from Jurgen Klopp to Emma Hayes who exited Liverpool and Chelsea respectively with one trophy apiece, whilst Rob Edwards deserves credit for taking relegated Luton’s chance of survival to the final day.

Pep Guardiola meanwhile achieved a historic fourth consecutive league title with Man City (sixth overall) plus a third domestic double of Premier League and FA Cup, underlining his quality as a manager as City saw off Arteta’s Arsenal on the final day for the league crown.

Kieran McKenna though has stood out from a strong crowd because having guided Ipswich from League One to Championship, he somehow managed to punch above his weight to secure back-to-back promotions for the Tractor Boys even despite a slightly tense final-day decider.

In fact it is testament to McKenna’s wide high-pressing style that his team has been clinical to secure promotion and has the second-best league goals record and fourth-lowest number of losses in England’s top two divisions this season.

I will admit that I expected Ipswich to possibly find themselves mid-table at best or play-offs at absolute push after their decent start to the season, yet they just looked fearless which is rare for a promoted team and their ability to scrape draws when not winning was key.

That embarrassing Fourth Round defeat to Maidstone in the FA Cup could be used as a beating stick by some, but promotion certainly more than made up for it with Ipswich now back in the top-flight after a 22-year absence.

McKenna though deserves a lot of credit and it isn’t little surprise that he was crowned Championship manager of the season, because what he has achieved is beyond impressive.