Charles Jackson
from Manchester City Phil Foden named Football Writers’ Association player of the year award on Friday with 42% of the vote ahead of Arsenal’s Declan Rice, his teammate Rodri, Gunners captain Martin Odegaard, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer. The 23-year-old has 16 goals and seven assists for reigning Premier League champions City, plus five goals in the UEFA Champions League, three assists, an extra pair of goals in the FA Cup and another goal and two assists in the World Cup. FIFA Club World Cup for a total of 24 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.
Although the FWA is primarily a national award, it takes into account contributions across all competitions and it is easy to see why Foden came out on top based on the overall statistical picture of Foden’s season. The England international has been a standout in a City team who are favorites to win another Premier League title and possibly another FA Cup too, although Erling Haaland’s prolific form has waned somewhat of late, although Champions League heartbreak in the Real Madrid’s hands could last for some time.
It’s understandable that Foden would get 42% of the vote when you consider how much more difficult it is to measure Arsenal duo Rice and Odegaard statistically, as well as City’s Rodri against Pep Guardiola’s England star, but there was other competition on the pitch. Villa’s Watkins and even Chelsea’s Palmer have both enjoyed impressive Premier League campaigns, with the former a particularly intriguing candidate given how balanced his overall contribution has been to Unai Emery’s side, who are once again outperforming their collective weight under the command of the Spaniard.
The case of Ollie Watkins
Watkins has 19 goals and 12 assists in the EPL alone, with a further three goals in the UEFA Europa Conference League taking him to 22, as part of a Villa team closing in on Champions League qualification and the UECL semi-finals. despite a series of significant injuries to key players. His 12 assists are a Premier League-leading tally, with Haaland’s total of 21 goals just two ahead of the 28-year-old, which underlines how baffling Watkins’ fight for England recognition has been, while only Son Heung- min, from Tottenham Hotspur, is close to matching his double-digit output with 16 goals and nine assists.
Watkins undoubtedly deserved greater consideration for the FWA award and could have been justified in finishing a few places higher, with Villa’s improvement under Emery perhaps now taken for granted and underestimating the great achievement the Birmingham club are about to achieve. Seven points clear of Spurs in fourth place with three games remaining despite Tottenham’s additional game, and you could argue that Villa’s surprising turnaround under Emery has become less of a novelty in the last 12 months, which it means there has perhaps been extra scrutiny on Watkins and his teammates’ shortcomings in the domestic cup.
Chelsea’s Palmer probably paid the price in a different way, as the Blues have not been to Europe this season and their form hit a particularly hot spot late in the day when most decisions were probably already made. Regardless, the 21-year-old’s 20 goals and nine assists in the EPL only grow in stature when you take into account a further three domestic cup goals for a total of 23 and there were even two goals before he left City in the UEFA Super Cup and the FA Community Shield, which is impressive for such a young player playing for a club that isn’t even guaranteed to finish in the top six.
Ultimately, it is more difficult to compare Rice, Rodri and Odegaard against Foden, Watkins and Palmer, as the latter trio are more attacking-minded, which lends itself to being easier to quantify and therefore offers a more accurate comparison. or less direct. If Chelsea’s overall disappointing season counts against Palmer, then Villa’s impressive campaign should further strengthen Watkins’ case, given their combined contributions of 34 goals – irreplaceable for Emery’s Villans – are just two short of Foden’s total. due to fewer games in all competitions.
