Chelsea dominated the Professional Footballers’ Association’s 2014 Player of the Year Awards, with six players named in the Premiership Team of the Year, and Eden Hazard picking up the PFA Player of the Year award.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is not a fan of individual award ceremonies.
“It is a team sport. Why celebrate individual achievement?” He told a Sky Sports presenter after securing a goalless draw at the Emirates. A result that inches them ever closer to their fifth league title.
So when Eden Hazard – a player Mourinho once criticized for not doing enough for his team – walked on stage to collect the Professional Footballers’ Association’s (PFA) Player of the Year award, one suspects the Special One was sat at home watching Game of Thrones with a glass of Chianti in hand.
“One day I want to be the best and this is what I did this season. I play very well, and Chelsea play very well.” Hazard told the BBC after winning the award. “It’s better to be voted by the players because they know everything about football.”
It’s been a fantastic two years for the Belgian boy wonder. Last year he picked up the PFA Young Player of the Year award, and he has followed that up with the grown up version, after his 13-goals have no doubt helped Chelsea win their fifth league title.
Interestingly, in the past two games, Chelsea has received a lot of criticism for the way they have played. The one-nil victory over Man Utd was a classic smash and grab performance, and they were hardly any better against Arsenal this weekend. They parked two buses – one in defense and one in midfield. A delighted John Terry could be seen mouthing a few expletives as a chorus of “Boring, Boring Chelsea” rained down from the terraces of a team that ironically won most of their titles whilst playing the same way.
Boring, boring Chelsea?
The panel for the Premier League Team of the Year didn’t think so. Six of the eleven players all came from Stamford Bridge. Interestingly, not a single player was chosen from the reigning Premier League champions, Man City, despite Sergio Aguero leading the goal scoring charts with 21-goals. Only four of the team were English, and last year’s top goalkeeper, Petr Cech, didn’t get a kick this season.
Premier League Team of the Year
Keeper: David De Gea (Man Utd)
Defense: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton)
Defense: John Terry (Chelsea)
Defense: Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
Defense: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)
Midfield: Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Midfield: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Midfield: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Midfield: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
Forward: Harry Kane (Spurs)
Forward: Diego Costa (Chelsea)
Tottenham’s Harry Kane ran Hazard close for that PFA Player of the Year award finishing second. Manchester United’s David De Gea finished third in the voting. But Kane would come up trumps in the PFA Young Player of the Year category. His 20-goals were enough to ensure he picked up the second most prestigious award of the evening.
