Premier League: Manchester City’s 2019-20 Players of the Year
Manchester City is loaded with firepower. Pep’s tactics allow the offense to be unleashed like a swarm of murder hornets on opposing defenses.
City scored 2.43 goals per game in the Premier League this season, which is best in the division. The club led in so many statistical categories that I would run out of space for this piece. So, please trust me.
There are many candidates for offensive player of the year.
Riyad Mahrez was a solid all-around player. He has pitched in in seven goals with eight assists. He led the club in the expected goals of every possession he was involved in per 90 minutes (xGChain90) and was second in key passes.
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Veteran Argentinian Sergio Agüero led the team in goals with 16, third in the league. He also was tops in goals per shot and goals per shot on target. More importantly, he was best at finishing goal opportunities in open play.
A big argument can be made for Gabriel Jesus for this award. The 22-year old Brazilian knocked in ten goals. However, he led the Premier League in non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists per 90 minutes (npxG+xA/90), expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes, and shots on target per 90 minutes.
In a close 1-0 vote, I am choosing Kevin De Bruyne as MCFC’s offensive player of the year. The Belgian national leads the Top Flight in assists, expected assists (xA), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, assist conversion rate, and key passes.
De Bruyne can also put the ball into the back of the net. He scored eight league goals although his average xG per shot was .07. He was tied for best on the team in non-penalty offensive goal conversion rate, making him also one of the most clinical finishers in the league.
The 28-year old is the best all-around offensive player in the league as he can score goals, create goal-scoring opportunities, and be a part of the build-up of play in an extremely efficient manner.