With almost a month to go, the 2016/2017 league season is coming to an end. Recently, the PFA announced a long list of candidates for the best of the year. Fans have now started actively voting for it as well, but no matter what the result is, there will always be a few happy and a few sad.
However there are some players, who have excellent performances in the game, but they have not even been named in the PFA Best XI. So, 442 lists a 4-2-3-1 formation with players all of whom were not nominated for the PFA Player of the Year.
Goalkeeper: Reina
To be honest, Reina's problems are really, really strange, he's a good goalkeeper, with good performances both for his club, and for his national team (which is still mainly a substitute goalkeeper). Obviously, he should have won more honors.
It should be noted that Reina actually won the Premier League Golden Glove award, but he was never selected for the PFA Best XI. Between the 2005/2006 and 2007/2008 seasons, Reina helped his team make 57 clean sheets, but he ultimately lost out to Girvan, who was playing for Newcastle at the time, Van der Sar, who was playing for Manchester United, and David James, who was playing for Portsmouth.
Right back: Essien
An integral and key member of Chelsea's MU1 side, Essien was Chelsea's team player of the year during the 2006/2007 season and was also nominated for the Golden Ball award. The reason why FourFourTwo.com has included Essien at right-back is because the Ghanaian midfielder did play at right-back under Jose Mourinho.
Center back: Steve Bruce
In the 1990s, United's success was built on a solid backline - Steve Bruce and Gary Player had great performances at the back. One thing that is very strange, however, is that while Palest made 22 appearances for and was also named in the PFA's best XI on five occasions, Steve Bruce didn't make a single appearance.
Center back: Ledley King
There was a time when Ledley King was the best center back in the Premier League. He was the most admired captain of Tottenham fans and players. Henry once said back in 2006, "He can snatch the ball away without you noticing it at all and without committing a foul." In the 350 games he played in the Premier League, he received a total of only 10 yellow cards and not a single red card.
Left Back: Winterbourne
Arsenal's back four was very well known in the 1990s and they were inextricably linked. Lee Dixon had an excellent ability to slot in and out of the game, while Winterburn also made 584 appearances for the team during those years with Arsenal. Tragically, however, Winterbourne was not named in the PFA Team of the Year once.
Midfielder: Javi Alonso
The Spanish midfielder has played at Anfield for five seasons and admittedly has been world class, but he really hasn't been named in the PFA Team of the Year. Showing his mastery of the game and occasionally being able to create surprises for everyone with his long range attacking shots, Harvey Alonso honestly **was** loved by all the fans at Anfield, but he just didn't get the PFA award.
Midfielder: Makelele
Although midfielder Makelele has always been the key to the team while playing for Chelsea, he has always failed to get the favor of the PFA Formation of the Year. Under Mourinho, the Frenchman has fully demonstrated his resilience, excellent tackling ability and game reading ability, and is able to provide the team with great strength in both defense and offense.
It's true that Makelele wasn't that visible in the game, after all, he played the role of doing the dirty work, the hard work. However, his efforts have been recognized to a certain extent, as he has defined a new role on the field, which is even called the "Makelele role" in English football.
Attacking midfielder: Zola
Zola has excellent soccer skills, exciting attacking ability and he is able to adapt to multiple positions on the field. Although it is said that he helped Chelsea fulfill their 25-year dream of winning the title, he still hasn't been able to get a call up to the PFA Team of the Year. It's also worth noting that no one seems to want to see a Chelsea player in the PFA XI of the Year, with Di Matteo, Poyet and Desailly also having a good game during the same period, but also not making the cut.
Forward: Fowler
Fowler is Liverpool's 'God' and has scored 163 league goals in his career. Meanwhile, Fowler's 50th career goal came just four months before his 21st birthday.
Forward: Hasselbaink
Hasselbaink scored 103 goals in 205 Premier League games for Leeds United and Chelsea, and helped Middlesbrough reach the UEFA Cup semi-finals, and it's a wonder that such a player hasn't been named in the PFA Team of the Year, don't you think?
Forward: Aguero
Aguero is one of the most talented strikers in the Premier League at the moment, yet he has always failed to make the PFA Team of the Year during his seasons with Manchester City. Keep in mind that Wayne Rooney, Sturridge, Vardy, Diego Costa, Robin van Persie (twice), Luis Suarez (twice) and Harry Kane (twice) are the ones who have been named in the PFA Team of the Year.
So far, there have been a number of people featured in the PFA Team of the Year, except that we haven't seen Aguero's name pop up yet. Meanwhile, five City players have been named in the PFA Team of the Year since Aguero joined the club, yet that still doesn't include Aguero. It seems that Aguero's 175 games, 118 goals, 4 major championship medals, and one historic goal (to help City win the title) are not enough to convince everyone.
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