Arsenal will still be recovering from their Premier League heartache from the season’s final day.
Advantage was in Manchester City’s hands heading into Sunday, all they needed to do was win and they have their fourth Premier League title in a row.
Yes, what was expected happened. But the manner it happened probably hurts the most for those associated with Arsenal.
Inside 18 minutes, Phil Foden, who had won the Premier League’s Player of the Year, had netted a brace for his side and Manchester City were on their way to yet another Premier League title.
There have been a number of high-quality performances this season. But has anyone managed to top the brilliance of Foden?
In the absence of Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland for large parts of the campaign through injury, he has stepped up, scored 19 Premier League goals and supplied eight assists.
Despite that, Paul Merson was keen to go against the grain and what his fellow Sky Sports panellists were thinking when naming their Player of the Season.
Everyone on the panel, bar Merson, went for Foden. The former double-winner was keen to point out that his Player of the Season was Declan Rice.
He feels the club-record transfer has taken Mikel Arteta’s side to ‘another level’, even though others disputed that claim.
Declan Rice Player of the Season
“Declan Rice has taken Arsenal to another level,” said Merson. “I think Phil Foden has not taken them to another level. I think he has been outstanding, but Declan Rice has taken Arsenal to that other level, he’s just nearly got them to where Manchester City are.
“I think he has been consistent the whole season through, I think, the whole season. Yeah, I mean, Phil Foden has been outstanding, of course, but I am just thinking outside the box, just what I see, you know, he has come in, Arsenal last season nearly got there, took them to another level, and I just can’t remember a game where he hasn’t been at least a seven or eight out of 10. Foden has been outstanding, but for me, I say Declan Rice.”
In the middle of Merson’s praise for Rice, Soccer Saturday host Simon Thomas interrupted and stated ‘Boyd, you are having none of it’ to which the former Scotland striker responded ‘What’s another level? Second last year and second this year’.
Merson added: “He has taken them to another level where it has gone to the last day of the season and it didn’t last season. Last season, Arsenal were leaking in goals left, right and centre at the end of the season. Three at Southampton. Two against West Ham. Three or four against Liverpool. All of a sudden now that isn’t the case. We all go on about Saliba and Gabriel, but if you haven’t got that holding midfield player, I don’t care how good your centre-halves are.”
Declan Rice and Phil Foden for England
It won’t be long before attention turns to Euro 2024 and whether England can finally end decades and decades of hurt by winning a major trophy.
Debate all you want about who is Player of the Season. One thing is for sure, England are blessed to have Rice and Foden in the same team.
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When you add in the goalscoring machine Harry Kane, the incredible talents of Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, the consistency of Ollie Watkins, the sheer brilliance of Cole Palmer and the star quality of Bukayo Saka.
Then England have some serious, serious quality on their books and, at a bare minimum, this team must be reaching the final, if not winning the whole thing.
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