A City front three spearheads the LiveScore.com Team of the Season
Manchester City may not have had everything their own way this season, but the LiveScore.com Premier League Team of the Season shows where their sharpest edge remained. A front three of Jérémy Doku, Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki gives the XI its attacking pulse, with City providing the speed, finishing and invention at the top of the pitch.
Haaland was the easiest call. The Norwegian finished as the league’s leading scorer with 27 goals, ahead of Igor Thiago on 22, and also topped the division for shots on target with 59 and total shots with 102. His expected goals figure of 25.4 underlined the same point: this man is a goal machine, and a defender's nightmare, consistently getting into the most dangerous areas and finishing at an elite rate.
Cherki’s place is built on creativity. The Frenchman ranked second in the Premier League for assists with 12, behind only Bruno Fernandes, and also sat second for big chances created with 19. For a City side built around control, Cherki added risk in the right places, turning possession into clear openings. His 8.5 expected assists also shows the supply was real, not decorative.
Doku completes the trio with a different kind of threat. His season was about imbalance, carrying the ball into spaces defenders hate and giving City width that could not be ignored. He led the league for take-ons won with 77, a number that explains why he gets in ahead of several more conventional scorers. In a team already containing Haaland’s penalty-box certainty and Cherki’s final pass, Doku’s one-v-one danger gives the attack its electricity.
Behind them, Bruno Fernandes is the creative heartbeat of our side. His record-breaking 21 assists led the league, while his 136 chances created put him clear of everyone else. Declan Rice and Dominik Szoboszlai complete a midfield with power, delivery and intensity. Rice's inclusion is more about ball-winning and overall leadership.
The defence is anchored by Arsenal’s title-winning spine. David Raya’s selection reflects a Golden Glove campaign of 19 clean sheets in 37 appearances, his third straight season winning the award. In front of him, William Saliba and Gabriel were the outstanding centre-back partnership in the league, starting 26 games together and helping Arsenal keep 15 clean sheets in those matches. Matheus Nunes and Adrien Truffert give the back four extra range from full-back, but the heart of the unit is Arsenal’s control without the ball.
City dominate the front line, Arsenal dominate the defensive base. That balance is what makes the XI work. All in all, we don’t believe anyone’s stopping this starting XI!
